The Liar's Bargain
by Aerides
Summary: Loki is awaiting trial for his crimes but receives help from an unlikely ally, but at what cost? Loki/Sigyn
1. Prison Break

**_Summary - Loki is awaiting trial for his crimes but receives help from an unlikely ally. But at what cost? Loki/Sigyn_**

**_Disclaimer - I do not own anything in this story, all characters are either the property of Marvel or are from Norse and Germanic mythology...or both._**

**_A/N - This is my first Thor fic (exciting) Not my usual area but the idea wouldn't leave me alone. Please note that I have relied more on Norse mythology than the Marvel universe so Sigyn is a little OC in this story (since there's not many surviving texts that mention her.) It's all a bit of a mish mash really. Still I hope you enjoy the story._**

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_**A Liar's Bargain**  
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_**Prologue**_

_For centuries the realms of Asgard and Vanaheim lived in a state of perpetual war. The invasion of the Frost Giants resulted in a temporary truce with the Vanir as their warriors joined forces to battle a common enemy. Hostages were exchanged by both sides and a tense peace treaty was reached. The Gods Hoenir and Mimir of Asgard were sent to live among the Vanir people while Asgard received the sea god Njord and his children, Kvasir the wise and Gullweig's only child the lady Sigyn. Such a treaty could only end in disaster and further bloodshed._

"You're late." The tall figure did not even turn around to see the hooded figure that approached. He didn't have to; he had been watching her as she journeyed to what was left of the Bifrost, where he still kept watch even though there was not much left to guard. "It's been a long time since we last met." He had not seen the girl since she was small, one of the many troubles of being a hostage of the Allfather was that she was forbidden to leave the realm and all visits to his home at Himingborg were actively discouraged. She was a young woman now but still child in his eyes.

"Dear Heimdall, you told me you would signal me if I was needed. I came as soon as I could, but I cannot stay long, the queen will notice my absence." Sigyn replied, her voice hushed by worry. Heimdall towered over her, his eyes like red gold. His face was empty of the calm patience he had shown when he had taught her the names of all the stars as they sat at the edge of the bridge when she was a child and instead held an aguish that she had never seen before.

"My Lady, the Vanir are in the midst of a revolution. They demand independence from Asgard but Hoenir and his supporters have taken it upon themselves to crush these uprisings with excessive force. Both sides must have learned that the Bifrost has been destroyed and have seized the opportunity to act without fear of intervention."

The girl's eyes filled with tears as the world brightener finished his story "Even if Odin could intervene he would not side with my people. But what can I do if I am stuck here? Who knows how much blood will be shed if we wait until the Bifrost is rebuilt."

"You must find a way to our once proud land and end this madness, by claiming the throne as its rightful heir. You alone, Sigyn Gullweigsdottir, hostage princess of Vanaheim and Lady of Victory can stop this. I cannot help you I am sworn to keep my watch, but there is one who can. One who knows paths to the other realms that even the Allfather is unaware of."

The girl's eyes widened "Who could know such a thing? Is he one of us?"

"He lies incarcerated beneath the palace, awaiting trial for war crimes against Midgard and Jotunheim."

"Loki? If you suggest that I would bargain with that…that degenerate then you are as mad as he is!" Sigyn gasped. "He would betray us all; you of all people have no reason to put your faith in him."

"Your highness, I would not suggest such a thing if there were any other options." Heimdall sighed heavily "Use your magic to your advantage, and do not believe any of his promises." He handed her something that looked like a bundle of pure shadows. "This will help you on your journey."

Sigyn eyed the strange object which upon closer observation resembled a warriors helmet but felt so light and brittle she was afraid she might break it. It was like the queen's finest crystal but was so dark it was hard to tell where the helm began and the void of the night sky ended.

"The Tarnhelm." She breathed "Fafnir's terror, I had thought it was lost. Heimdall, how did you get this?"

"That is not for you to know. The Tarnhelm holds the power to turn whoever wears it invisible, use it wisely and make haste."

"You have risked much to help me good Heimdall. I am in your debt." The lady of Victory replied and with a bow she was gone, the burden of her quest on her young shoulders. For a brief moment Heimdall wished that he was blind, he could not bear to watch powerlessly as her fate unfolded.

* * *

"My lady, where have you been at this time of night?"

Sigyn had almost reached her room when she heard a familiar voice from the hallway. Something in her chest tightened with fear at the realisation that she'd been caught. There was no point in hiding the fact that she was in her riding clothes, but the Tarnhelm was safely concealed beneath her cloak. She wished now that she had worn it to sneak back into the palace but the magic of the dark elves often carried unexpected side effects and was notoriously difficult to use. She turned to face the voice's owner, a sweet smile in place as she tried her hardest not to look nervous.

"Lady Sif, how have you been?"

"Idle." The taller woman answered, with a frustrated sigh. "We have only had our training to keep us occupied and I am growing bored of it."

"I'm sure there will be plenty for you to do when the Bifrost is rebuilt." Sigyn replied, she had known Sif since they were children and knew that she didn't cope well with being cooped up. "I have just come from there actually, there was a meteor shower tonight and Heimdall invited me to watch it with him." She went on, hoping the lie was convincing enough and hoping the fact that dishonesty was so unlike her that she would be believed.

"I see. I did not know you were still interested in such things." Said Sif and for a horrible moment Sigyn thought that the other woman could see right through her. "But I suppose it's good that you're going out for a change. It can't be very interesting being the queen's companion."

"It's pleasant enough, but you're right it is rather uneventful." Sigyn laughed.

"Perhaps you could join us for our next hunt? I'm sure Thor would not mind."

"I would have to ask Frigga's permission, but I would like that very much." Sigyn smiled, if all went well she would be halfway to Vanaheim by then. "But it is late, I'm sure our plans can wait until morning."

After bidding Sif goodnight, Sigyn rushed into her chambers and sank to the floor, trembling a little. Her journey had very nearly been over as soon as it had begun. She could barely handle a confrontation with Lady Sif one of her oldest friends, how on earth would she fare with the god of lies?

No, this was no time for self-doubt. Vanaheim needed her. With any luck she would be able to negotiate with Hoenir and the rebel leaders before things escalated any further. And if luck was against her, what then? Would she, an inexperienced girl barely of age be able to lead the Vanir into battle? She would have to cross that bridge when she came to it, for there more pressing things to think about, like how she was going to break into Loki's prison.

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Night had passed into the early hours and most of Asgard lay sleeping. Loki was among those wakeful few, as were the two prison guards who kept watch over his cell. After being brought back to Asgard he had been fitted with a pair of shackles that disarmed him of his magic and sealed within Odin's prison with seven wards upon the door so that no living thing could get in or out. There were no windows; he was too far beneath the ground to have any visible concept of time. Only his daily meal and the sounds of the changing of the guard gave any indication of how long he's been there and he had given up counting them a long time ago. All he knew was that his trial was looming and he would soon be sentenced to whatever Odin saw fit to punish him with in front of all of Asgard. He was almost looking forward to it, anything would be better than this isolation.

The sound of the door opening nearly made him jump out of his skin. Was it time already? Was he about to be brought up before the Allfather? He could barely conceal his surprise when the figure that entered was not the guard as he had first thought but a young woman with golden hair and pale grey eyes. The same eyes brought up a lot of painful memories from his previous life that like his former family refused to be forgotten.

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The Tarnhelm had been suspiciously easy to use. Sigyn only had to pull it over her eyes and watch as the reflection in her mirror disappeared completely. She had taken a bottle of the sleeping draught Frigga asked her to prepare every night to keep the queen's nightmares at bay as well as some supplies for the journey and a small dagger although it had been many years since she had been taught to use it.

Using the Tarnhelm and the sleeping potion to get past the guards she was faced with the enchanted locks that had been put in place to contain Asgard's former prince. This is what Heimdall had meant when he told her to use her magic to her advantage.

As she made fast work of breaking through the final barrier and opened the door she saw him sitting on the straw mattress on the cell floor with his back against the wall. She very nearly lost her nerve right then. He had changed so much since she had last seen him she barely recognised him. He looked gaunt and unwashed seeming much smaller without his usual armour and his hair had grown long and hung limply over his shoulders. For some reason she noted that even after so many years he still couldn't grow a beard, it made him seem less horrifying somehow. Loki looked up as she entered; visibly surprised to see her and Sigyn prayed that he had forgotten their last encounter.

"Well, if it isn't the little hostage princess." He said leering at her obviously trying to cover his shock and save face. He was supposed to be Asgard's most notorious criminal after all. "What are you doing here? Has mother made you her messenger as well as her companion, or have you changed your mind and this is purely a conjugal visit?"

She bristled at the comment, he clearly hadn't forgotten anything and before she had time to consider her actions she had grabbed the tin cup that had contained his drinking water and flung it at his head. He flinched away but the vessel managed to bounce off his temple with a satisfying clang.

"Too soon? You still have a good throwing arm I see." He said wincing a little from the pain, she couldn't help smiling a little. "But I must ask again, what brings you to my new abode, in those clothes. Not that I'm complaining, I've always found riding clothes quite fetching on a woman."

"So I've heard." Sigyn replied, raising a blonde eyebrow. They may have only been rumours but in her experience there was no smoke without fire. "I don't have much time. I need to find a route a Vanaheim as soon as possible and I believe you know a way to get there." The statement surprised him and he paused for a moment.

"What makes you think I would know how to get to Vanaheim? You're on dangerous ground Sigyn, you never know when we're being watched."

"Of course we're being watched, who do you think sent me?"

"Heimdall? Heimdall despises me, he always has. Why would he send you my way?"

Sigyn quickly explained about the uprising in Vanaheim. "Heimdall may have sworn an oath to protect Asgard, but people often forget that he is a Vanir. In all matters concerning his kinsmen he is loyal to me." She finished "He said you told him you knew of pathways between that even he couldn't see. Was that true?"

"It depends." He said and grinned cockily in the way he used to as a youth only the smile was tarnished with a hint of demented cruelty. "Why should I help you when you have treated me so unkindly?"

"Do not think I am above torturing you." Sigyn snapped brandishing the nearest thing to hand as a weapon which didn't work as all she could find was a spoon.

"Oh I'm sure you're quite brutal when you get going." He laughed, rising from his position on the floor and took the offending item from her fingers. "You'll never find it on your own. I cannot simply give you directions."

"Very well, I'm sorry to have troubled you." She replied, her face falling.

"Wait... You were able to break in here without being detected. How?"

"I'm good at breaking things. You know, bindings, enchantments…"

"…My jaw." Loki cut her off, she couldn't help smirking a little but she doubted she had hit him that hard.

"If I were to break you out, would you take me to Vanaheim?" Sigyn asked, getting the hint.

"Only to be thrown in chains again when we are caught and you with me?" Loki replied "I'm going to need more than that. You came here without being seen. What are you hiding from me? There is dark magic on you."

"I drugged the guards."

"Don't lie to me!" he snapped at her anger flaring in his eyes and twisting his face into something monstrous. If they had not been in danger of being caught she imagined that he would have shouted.

Sigyn sighed. She knew she would not be able to hide such a powerful artefact from him long. She took the enchanted helmet from her bag. He moved to take it but she quickly stepped backward and held it out of his reach.

"The Tarnhelm, this is my last offer. If you escort me to Vanaheim, unharmed, and help me bring about a resolution with Hoenir and the rebels, if and when everything is resolved, it will be yours. Then you will be free to go about your mischievous business. Is that acceptable?" he stared hungrily at the sinister object, there was no need for her to explain the Tarnhelm's properties; he clearly knew exactly what it was and what it could do. She could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he plotted.

"You drive a hard bargain, Sigyn."

"Well if you don't think you're up for it you can always stay here and hope you get time off for good behaviour..."

"That's a good point, let's go."

"Do you swear it? Sigyn pressed and held out her hand.

"I swear I will get you to your collection of rocky islands unharmed and stop your filthy inbred peasants from fighting each other." He replied rolling his eyes and somehow managed to grab her hand and kiss it before she could snatch it away. "So, Princess. Will you lead the way?"

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**To be continued...**

**I hope you enjoyed reading, reviews are very much appreciated and I leave you this:**

**If Heimdall has sworn to protect Asgard but is loyal to Sigyn in issues concerning the safety of Vanaheim. What would happen if one realm invaded the other?**


	2. The Fetter

**The Liar's Bargain**

**Chapter Two - The Fetter**

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**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of Marvel and are based on Norse and Germanic mythology. The Tarnhelm is a creation of Richard Wagner. A lot of creative license has been taken...**

**A/N - To Abydell : They do indeed have a history that should slowly come to light but not necessarily in the right order. I really like the idea the Loki has always been jealous of Thor's ability to grown facial hair while Thor really hates having an itchy faces and having to shave all the time and kind of wishes he looked more like Loki. I also really love Heimdall's role, I had initially intended to use him to just introduce the story but I kind of want to include him more as a character. And now on with the story.**

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Loki could only watch as Sigyn managed to tear through his bonds as though they were paper. She had certainly kept that quiet. Not that he had ever really asked about her magic, their schooling had been kept separate and while he and Thor has shared the same tutors, Sigyn's education had remained a mystery to him. He had read that Vanir magic was built jointly on fertility and wisdom with its sorcerers often specialising in one or the other. Heimdall's powers for example fell firmly into the wisdom category while Frey and Freya the children of Njord practised the former. He wasn't entirely sure which entailed breaking powerful enchantments, but Loki felt that perhaps he should have read more about Vanir magic instead of just skipping to the chapter on sex rituals. Still she would be useful to get him out of this cursed place, and with a shiny new enchanted relic to steal, things were beginning to look up for him. He would simply play his part, pretend to be cooperative like the lovesick fool he used to be then leave her high and dry at the first opportunity. Then once he figured out how Fafnir's Treasure worked, well the possibilities were almost limitless.

He felt a kind of rush as his magic returned to him. He had sorely missed it; he did not do well in cages. But under the magic there was another feeling, something not quite right, as though his skin had grown too tight. But perhaps he was only imagining things. In a flicker of light his rather itchy linen prison clothes were replaced with his most intimidating armour. He had already been humiliated enough with her seeing him in such a sorry state, he needed to impress her. His next trick was to conjure one of his doubles in the same spot he had been sitting in when she had entered the cell.

"Just to buy us some more time." He explained.

She gave the illusion an admiring nod "How long will it last?"

"Long enough." He replied cockily and glanced at the shadowy helmet in Sigyn's hands. "Now, I don't know about you, but I was thinking of trying out a new look. Horned helmets are so Iron Age, don't you think?"

"From what I've gathered so far the Tarnhelm grants invisibility to whoever wears it as well as whatever the wearer is touching at that moment." Sigyn explained.

"Someone's done their research." Loki grinned "I like a woman who's willing to experiment." He couldn't help baiting her, their verbal battles made him feel oddly liberated, as though he was a child again acting out to get her attention. Back then he didn't care if he made her laugh or cry just as long as she looked at him.

"I like a man who can hold his tongue." Sigyn snapped "Not take my hand and do not let go until we're outside before I change my mind and leave you here."

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**Many years ealier:**

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm holding your hand under the table, my lady. I admit, I may have had too much wine tonight but I thought I'd give it a try, you know in case you liked it." He said conspiratorially.

"You're hands are freezing, like you've been out in a snowstorm." She laughed and to his surprise she grabbed his other hand began to rub them to get some of the warmth back. It was an innocent gesture but Loki suddenly couldn't stop thinking about the Vanir spell book he kept hidden under his mattress.

The banquet was drawing to a close but a few guests still remained. His father had thrown the feast to celebrate Thor's first victory in battle. He hadn't wanted anyone to see how jealous he was feeling. That hateful part of him had wanted to turn the wine into vinegar or make the suckling pig dance across the table, nothing too horrible, just something to give the ladies a fright.

Then she had arrived, and any thoughts of mischief making disappeared from his mind. Not only that but she had been seated next to him. Such opportunities didn't come along very often. She had been shy around him at first, not really knowing what to talk about beyond the ordinary pleasantries. She had confessed that this was the first time she had been deemed old enough to be invited to this kind of gathering. He had boasted about all the feasts he had attended (and disrupted with his pranks) even though he wasn't that much older than her to begin with. As the wine had started flowing their conversations became easier and he became bolder as Sigyn began to giggle at his jokes.

"I'm glad you're here, I might have died of boredom otherwise. We don't see nearly enough of you, Sigyn."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to see me more often now that I'm to move to the Valaskjalf."

"You're coming to live here?" he asked, perhaps a little too eagerly.

"I am to serve the queen." She explained.

"Reading and sewing with mother. I couldn't think of a more wretched existence. Let me know if you ever need rescuing." He laughed.

In hindsight he should have noticed the she shadow of worry that flickered across her face when she told him. He should have realised that Odin was not simply inviting her to stay in their home as a gesture of good will. Sigyn was being moved so that the Allfather could keep his eye on her, pun intended. She must have done something to make her a person of interest as he would later learn that her role as a lady in waiting was only a cover and that Sigyn was unofficially under house arrest. But at the time he was only thinking of wooing her.

"I might take you up on that."

He glanced around the hall. Thor and the Warriors Three were in full drinking song mode, except Hogun of course. Sif was giving him a death glare from across the room as if to say 'touch her and die a gruesome and undignified death'.

"It's getting a little noisy in here, would you like to take a walk with me?" he asked, maybe if he could get her alone for a while he might feel confident enough to ask to court her. When she nodded and got up to leave he grabbed a bottle of honey wine from the table, just in case he needed a little more courage, he flashed a grin at Lady Sif and laughed to himself when he saw her jaw drop in outrage.

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The guards were just beginning to stir as they silently crept by under the Tarnhelm's charm. It was bizarre that Loki could feel Sigyn's warm hand in his but he couldn't see her or himself. It was as though he didn't exist in that strange other space. He knew charms to shield himself from being seen, even Heindall had trouble focusing on him when they worked, but this magic was different. They were not cloaked or hidden but literally invisible and completely undetectable passing through the corridors and city streets as though they were in a dream. Not even the staff had carried power such as this, in all his life he had never felt this powerful before, not even when he had been king. So when they were safely outside the gates of the city and Sigyn had flickered into sight again it was only natural for him to snatch the elfin helmet from her hands and make a run for it disappearing down the darkened road.

As he ran that unusual tight feeling under his skin returned only what had been barely noticeable a few minutes earlier had broken out into an unbearable pain that only got worse the further he ran away. He had managed about ten yards when he finally collapsed on the cobblestones under a nearby oak tree with a strangled scream as it felt as though he was being stabbed repeatedly with thousands of sewing needles, the Tarnhelm fell from his head and rolled a few feet into a nearby ditch as he landed in the dirt. He heard the echo of her riding boots as she followed his cries and the pain slowly subsided and disappeared as suddenly as it had came when arrived at his side.

"What have you done to me!" he demanded as he struggled to his feet and rounded on her, not caring if the whole city heard him. "You treacherous bitch, what have you done?"

"It's called a Fetter Incantation." Sigyn replied seemingly unfazed by his histrionics, did she not know that he was seconds away from snapping that beautiful neck of hers. "I told you I was good at breaking things but I'm also rather good at binding things as well. It makes up the majority of my magic."

"Binding?"

"Think of it as a contract. When you agreed to help me I decided to bind you to your word. If you go back on our deal then I'm afraid things will get rather uncomfortable." The girl explained and Loki saw red, she had managed to trick the trickster. "What? Did you honestly believe I would trust you? After everything you've done. I'm impressed that you managed to run for so long, though. I like a man with a high pain threshold." She smirked, repeating his taunts from earlier.

Something snapped inside him then, he couldn't believe he had been so stupid to think she had offered him such a simple way out. And she had the nerve to just stand there and laugh at him in her triumph like she always did. He had never struck a woman before but without thinking he grabbed her by the throat and slammed her slight form against the oak tree. Immediately the horrifying sting returned and he immediately let go of her and sank to his knees. Of course, he had sworn that she would not be harmed. Another big mistake.

"You've worked it out then? That was a little insurance policy, you know in case you try to kill me in my sleep." Sigyn smiled, rubbing the spot where shed had hit her head. At least he'd managed to hurt her a little before the power of the incantation had hit him, although at that moment death would have been to good for her.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought it would be funnier if you worked it out on your own."

"I knew it, I knew you were a sadist." He growled. "And who's to say I won't kill you when this is all over."

"I'll be a queen by then, I'll have an army." She shrugged, and in absolute defeat he couldn't help but be a little impressed after his rage had passed. He had severely underestimated this foreign princess who singlehandedly had him kneeling at her feet. He had never wanted a woman more than he wanted her at that moment.

"Now, I think we should find a good hiding place before someone notices us and calls the guard…if you're finished here." Sigyn said clapping her hands pragmatically before heading to retrieve her enchanted helmet. Loki could only look on in astonishment as she walked away. Damn her.

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**To be continued...**


	3. Stoneship

**Chapter Three**

**Stoneship**

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******Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of Marvel and are based on Norse and Germanic mythology. The Tarnhelm is a creation of Richard Wagner. A lot of creative license has been taken...**

******A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews, follows and faves. I can't tell you how happy it makes me XD. Yes Loki is pretty darn evil in this story. And the weird thing is that's not how I intended him to be when I started out. Seriously, I don't know where it came from. So evil? Most definitely. Beyond redemption? Who knows...**

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"There are the four harts, Dainn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Durathror. See how the smaller stars look like antlers. And over there is Ratatosk the squirrel or at least our ancestors thought it was a squirrel. Now we know it to be a giant cloud of red dust and gasses. And that comet over there is Nidhogg, it travels past all of the nine realms and is only visible from Asgard every six hundred years."

Their walk around the gardens had turned into an impromptu astronomy lesson out on the lawn. The young prince was eager to show off how clever he was and she decided to humour him even though he got a few of the constellations wrong. Sigyn couldn't help sighing. Perhaps the young princes would have fared better under Heimdall's guidance in such things.

At the thought of her friend and teacher, Sigyn very nearly lost her resolve. Their last meeting had been an emotional one as the World Brightener had advised her to play the damsel and reveal nothing of her true knowledge or her loyalties. A series of raids had revealed there had been a number of secret meetings among the Vanir hostages, slaves and migrants. She had even spoken at some of them as many regarded her as Vanaheim's rightful heir through blood and believed Hoenir, her adopted father would plan to take advantage of her absence to claim the throne. There had not been enough evidence of rebellion or of her involvement but many had already been imprisoned for circulating revolutionary literature, including the wise Kvasir who had taught her rhetoric had been the unofficial leader of the movement. Sigyn was currently under observation, kept at the palace as a warning albeit an unspoken one. Violence had not been her intention, only peaceful protests, but through her naive and rebellious actions she had rendered herself powerless. She would not make that mistake again.

"Sigyn, are you all right?" she looked over to where he was lying on the grass and realised she hadn't been paying attention. She was on the verge of crying and hoped it was dark enough that he wouldn't notice.

"I'm sorry, I was miles away." She replied. She probably shouldn't have got involved with him, he belonged to the house that held her captive, and she might have avoided a lot of trouble if she had sat somewhere else that night. But she had been frightened and alone and had felt utterly wretched. Could she really be blamed for clinging to a familiar face?

"What troubles you?" she felt the chill on his skin as he took her hand in his. She broke down then, such was her despair at being trapped here in a strange place with none of her own kind and no knowledge of what was happening to them. To never be allowed to see her friends again or go outside. To be constantly guarded and kept under surveillance. Once the tears began she could not stop them.

She felt the prickle of the dry grass on her skin, heard the humming of insects and the echoes of laughter from the feast above the sound of her sobbing and her heart pounding in her ears. She couldn't remember how it had happened but somehow she had ended up in his arms and had cried on his shoulder, she did not know how long.

"Sigyn, what's wrong?" she heard him say, and felt the tremor of his voice beneath her ear.

"It's nothing, I just feel a little homesick."

"You're a horrible liar."

"Can we just talk about something else, please?" she said a little more harshly than she had intended and pulled away from him, his face fell visibly.

"If you wish it. But if there's a problem, you can tell me, I can help you. I promise." He pressed. She doubted that very much. To help her would be to go against his father, but in that moment he looked so sincere that it felt nice to pretend that he was her prince who would rescue her.

"Thank you, Loki." He leaned in closer as if to kiss her. She should have been affronted by the idea but there was just something about him that was so likeable that a part of her would have let him. Charm, that's what it was. He might not have been as handsome as his brother, or as strong as the heroes that were legends in their own right, but he had a mind as sharp as a razor and a talent for words. The kind you had to watch out for.

The kiss never came as she heard her name being called from the other side of the gardens.

"I must go." She whispered, standing up to leave but he would not let go of her hand.

"Let's find somewhere to hide, they'll give up looking for us soon enough."

"I really do have to go." She laughed and stumbled to her feet, leaving him on the grass.

* * *

The great dragon Nidhogg blazed above them in the night sky, bathing the road and surrounding countryside in silver light. It worked in their favour for they did not need to light torches. Behind them the shining city loomed on the horizon in a flood of gold and marble. Sigyn lead the way and her reluctant companion followed some twenty paces behind. She was glad of it; she did not want to be near him, not after what had just happened.

She knew she had been cruel in her methods and might have provoked him with her taunts but somehow she had not expected him to react so violently. She had not believed he was the deranged killer he had been accused of until that moment. If she had not been so careful with her incantation, in that split second, he could have ended her. She had never fear for her life around him before, not even when he had been king and when they quarrelled so fiercely. She had never been more terrified of anything in her entire life, and didn't want to think about what might happen if he ever got free of his fetter. She fought back the urge to be sick as she tentatively rubbed her throat where bruises were undoubtedly forming. She was in way over her head.

She had been kept inside the palace for so long that the outside world felt unsettling in its vastness. She was worried that she might have forgotten the way to the old Vanir meeting place or if was even there anymore. Odin might have ordered to have it destroyed after the raids. It didn't help that a forest had grown up around it in her absence which steadily grew darker the further they went. Suddenly the fact that Loki was keeping his distance was not as comforting as she had lost sight of him. What made it worse was the horrible little snake was somehow able to keep completely silent when he wanted to. Instead she heard the most unsettling noises that seemed to come from all directions sometimes mimicking the screeches of foxes in the distance or a sudden rustle of leaves as she approached. She wasn't sure if they were the natural sounds of the wood or if he was deliberately trying to frighten her. Either way her hand tightened around the hilt of her dagger. There could be wolves out here among the trees.

He was so well hidden that she began to wonder why he would need something like the Tarnhelm at all; he was more than competent without it. Perhaps he knew something about it that she didn't. She wracked her brain trying to remember the story Kvasir had told her about it, but found his memory too painful to dwell on. Fafnir was a dragon and the helmet was part of his treasure, it could turn its wearer invisible, everybody knew that, but what was the other thing?

Soon enough the familiar arrangement of stones in the shape of a longboat was in sight in a small clearing where the dim light from the stars managed to reach the leafy floor as she shakily made her way towards it. She had become so unfit from being stuck in that place for so long that she was already exhausted even though they had only been walking for a few hours. She waited at the edge of the clearing for what felt like hours but still Loki did not make an appearance. He couldn't have tried to escape again, not unless he wanted to suffer permanent brain damage. Perhaps he had become lost somewhere along the way. That was unlikely too, he was far more used to travelling through unfamiliar territory than she was, and this was where the royal family would go for their hunting trips sometimes so he must have had a basic knowledge of the area. She considered calling for him, but thought against it. He was definitely planning something, and it had her on edge.

Suddenly something warm and wet dripped onto her forehead. She didn't need to be able to see it to know that it was blood but before the thought was able to register Loki leapt down from the tree brandishing some sort of dead animal at her. She screamed, so loudly in fact she wouldn't have been surprise if they heard her all the way from here to Helheim. Even though she was half expecting something like this it still made her jump out of her skin, perhaps expecting it had somehow made it worse, being kept in suspense for so long. Out of instinct she lunged forward her blade slicing through the air in a moonlit arc. He dodged the blow easily but not far enough as the edge caught him and she heard him hiss with pain but he quickly recovered and grabbed her wrist, taking her weapon away.

"Unhand me! What are you doing?" she shouted.

"What am I doing? You nearly stabbed me! And after I went through all the trouble of catching you dinner." he held fast keeping her arms pinned behind her back. She struggled but even in his half starved state he was still stronger than her. And he made sure that it didn't hurt.

"You came out of nowhere, did you realise you couldn't harm me physically and decide to frighten me to death instead?"

"No!"

"Well what was that business in the tree then?"

"All right, Yes." He confessed "I wasn't expecting you to have a knife on you though. I might have unwittingly sworn not to hurt you but evidence suggests that I'm the one in danger here. You're quite a vicious little thing when you get going."

"Let me go!"

"Swear they'll be no more stabbing?"

"Fine, it won't happen again… unless I'm provoked." She seethed, but stopped her struggles.

"Sorry, not good enough. If I am do this service for you then I want you to amend that Fetter thing of yours. I need some protection after all. No more stabbing, cutting, slapping or kicking, no more throwing punches and heavy objects until our dealings are complete. I'll allow biting though; I find it quite pleasurable when you do it."

"You filthy bastard!" she began to try and free herself once more, unsuccessfully.

"Just do it."

"I swear that I will not strike you in anger until our deal is done." She said reluctantly, changing the spell slightly even though it would mean that he would probably use it to try and provoke her into doing something fooling and hurting herself in the process. She would just have to swallow her anger. The strange electric energy of the incantation spread through them both. "And when this is all over I'll have you flayed alive." She added sullenly.

Loki chuckled and let go of her wrists and wrapped his arms around her waist, effectively hugging her from behind. "That's my girl."

"Don't push it." She replied and broke free from his hold.

She proceeded to push aside one of the standing stones which hid a trap door that lead beneath the ancient burial mound.

"Oh, so this is your secret thingstead." Loki commented as he followed her beneath the ground. They soon reached a large antechamber that lit itself with enchanted torches as soon as they entered revealing a hidden meeting hall strewn with broken furniture and spider webs.

"This is Stoneship, it used to be the only Vanir gravesite in Asgard, but it seems to have been abandoned since I was last here." Sigyn sighed. There had been violence here. The place had been completely ransacked and left to rot.

"You people and your boats, you're so common." Loki muttered scavenging for dry wood among the remains of dusty chairs and arranging them in the abandoned fire pit.

"What are you doing?"

"In case you haven't noticed I haven't had a proper meal in nearly six months." He said holding up the bloodied hare he had frightened her with earlier. "I want something's flesh, and since I can't have yours I've decided to make do with an equally pathetic and frightened creature. You didn't happen to bring anything edible with you, did you?"

"I couldn't bring much" she said ignoring the insult and unwrapped the bread, cheese and flask full of wine she had managed to pack beforehand.

"It'll suffice." He sniffed.

A further investigation of the hall and the surrounding woods offered up a chipped cooking pot and some edible mushrooms, or at least she was pretty sure they were safe. Loki skinned and butchered the hare, a little too well for someone who had never laboured, and they stewed it with the mushrooms in the wine.

"It reeks." Sigyn said with distaste, pushing her serving around but not eating it.

"The meat always turns when they die slowly." He smirked; the implication of the statement unsettled her. "Still, it's better than nothing."

"You've gone wrong."

"You've only just noticed that?" he said, and for the first time the malice of his demeanour faded slightly to reveal something far more hopeless. "I am much changed, Sigyn. I've seen things that would make you tear out your eyes. I imagine if you went through the same you would become much like myself."

"I would do no such thing."

"Oh really. We are not so different you and I. Odin has wronged us both, he has kept us sheltered and ignorant, no more than stolen relics. You of all people should understand me."

"How dare you. How dare you compare my circumstance to yours!" she turned on him her voice low and icily controlled. "You had everything, absolutely everything. And you threw it all away because of your stupid, misguided jealousy. You only have yourself to blame. How can I understand you when you have murdered innocent people in your madness? If we are alike as you have said, then you would stop stalling me and show me the way to Vanaheim as planned."

"Madness you say?" he sneered, returning to usual deranged self, all vulnerability disappearing as soon as it had come. "And rushing blindly to a war torn province and openly defying the Allfather isn't madness? Well your plan is as insane as I am. My plan was to rob you as soon as I was freed, perhaps take my fill of you for old time's sake and leave you out here to get caught and dragged back to the palace. And since you have foiled that plan I have no other ideas."

"What?"

"I have no idea how to get to Vanaheim. I was bluffing."

* * *

To be continued...


	4. Fafnirsbane

**Chapter Four**

**Fafnirsbane**

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******Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of Marvel and are based on Norse and Germanic mythology. The Tarnhelm is a creation of Richard Wagner. A lot of creative license has been taken...**

******A/N: Thank you so much for all the feedback, you lovely people. Quite a shortish chapter this week but hopefully things will pick up soon.**

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"I have no idea how to get to Vanaheim. I was bluffing." he'd done it now. He could feel the Fetter tighten slightly around his being and shivered is discomfort.

"You what?" that was it he had definitely pushed her too far this time. It was strange, he stalked her, threatened her, harassed her, goaded her, even tried to kill her that night and she had held her own against him. But it seemed as though all hope had left her. He had once felt that as long as she paid attention to him then it didn't matter if that attention was good or bad. That had been before he had found himself on the receiving end of her disappointment.

"I never actually said that I knew the way, you just assumed I did." Loki explained. "Which is flattering, I admit, but completely misinformed. So why don't we just call this whole thing off, I take the Tarnhelm, you can go back to looking after mother's headaches, and we'll just pretend this whole awkward mess never happened." It was a feeble offer, he knew she would make him pay for this but at least he didn't have to worry about finding himself at the wrong end of her blade.

"Oh no, there's no way to get out of this one. If you think I would let you go after slighting me like this then you truly are as mad as they say. You probably feel it already but the longer you stall the more painful the bond becomes. So if you do not know the way then you must find a way, or suffer an eternity of ever increasing pain." She got up, roughly pulling her cloak over her shoulders. "Or you could always go to Heimdall. He will gladly make short work of severing the bond. But it would also involve severing your head from your shoulders."

"Is that so? I didn't know you were so eager to spend time with me. You only needed to ask." Loki smirked but inside the memory of the searing pain he had suffered was still fresh. Odin's prison was beginning to look warm and inviting compared with this. "Now where are you going?"

"I'm going outside for a while….to kill an equally pathetic creature." She growled. "I don't think I can even look at you right now." And with that she was gone leaving him alone in the mouldering hall.

Loki almost felt bad for her. He knew that in coming to him it was clear she had no other options. But he did like to be bound and what she had done had been unforgiveable in his eyes. For centuries he had pursued her and she had denied him at every turn but the moment she wanted something he was suddenly worthy of her attention again. And that spell, that horrible underhanded spell, which essentially kept him on a leash until she decided to let him go. He had thought only the Allfather could do such things. What he wouldn't give to possess such power.

Left alone in the firelight he noticed that Sigyn had forgotten to take the Tarnhelm with her. The desire to wear the Helm of Dread was overwhelming. Despite his attempt to steal it earlier he had not had the time to examine it properly. If the legends about it were true then invisibility was only a fraction of what it was capable of. He took the enchanted helmet in his hands searching for some clue, some inscription that might show him how it worked. He hadn't been entirely truthful about not knowing a way to Vanaheim. He did not know exactly how to get there, but he had a strong theory and that was enough. He had simply wished to hurt her for her insolence, even if she had been right. Perhaps he had acted too harshly.

At least such a treasure was a fair reward for what he had been burdened with, at least it would be if he was right about it. But if he was able to win her over as well, impress her enough to become his ally, then he would have the power of the fetter incantation as well. And he wanted her; there was no point in denying it out of bitterness. He made up his mind that he would have her. It had been so long since he had bedded a woman, and who could be better than the very woman who had eluded him for so long. Now that he no longer had anything to prove, he realised he was probably not the marrying type but the fact that she was extremely powerful and the rightful queen of Vanaheim gave him enough incentive to try. He could settle in Vanaheim, if the realm was restored to its former glory it could become Asgard's equal again. And who wouldn't want to rule a realm made up entirely of sunny islands filled with magic and fruit trees and relaxed morals. To him it sounded like paradise and it could all be his for the taking if he managed to win its princess.

It was in his nature to want more, and he could not deny that he still wanted her, perhaps more than ever now that she had revealed her true nature to him. She was had been an enemy of Asgard long before he had gotten started. Before, she had been aloof, pleasant and courteous but always an outsider much like himself, a mystery to him, and a puzzle that needed to be solved. Unlike the other Vanir hostages who had integrated themselves until people forgot they were foreigners, Sigyn had always stubbornly maintained her land's customs and subsequently stood out at court with her hair worn loose and her brightly coloured gowns. He had probably thought himself in love with her because she was so different but what was even more appealing was the fact that she was forbidden to him and if there was one constant in his character it was that he always wanted what he couldn't have. It was practically the story of his life, his downfall even.

He had spent so much time wishing that he could change himself, he had always thought that if he had all the qualities that Thor had then everything would be better. If the two of them had been born the same then they would both be equals, and his parents would love them equally and he would have people he could count as friends instead of merely tagging along with Thor's friends. Even now, though his rational mind knew it wouldn't change anything, he sorely wished he could be like his brother, former brother, arch enemy, that bearded buffoon, whatever he was to him now, he still wasn't sure.

He felt warmer somehow, and not from the fire, it felt as though his blood had suddenly gone mad and had begun to course through his veins. He felt larger too, broader, less graceful and more unwieldy about the limbs and to his surprise, quite itchy around his face and neck. He reached up to scratch his chin and nearly cried out in surprise when he felt bristles on his normally smooth chin. He looked down at his hand, noticing the large calluses that had suddenly appeared, his fingers were shorter, an unfamiliar scar had appeared on his thumb and by the stars what in Helheim had happened to his nails? It was then he noticed that he was still holding the Tarnhelm in his lap as he thought but the face reflected in its shiny black surface was not his own but that of Thor. And then a revelation hit him.

"Sigyn!" he called rushing out from under the ground and into the forest clearing. When there was no answer he began to search the woods for her. After a few minutes he discovered her sitting among the mossy roots of a nearby ash her head in her hands and her golden hair matted with dead leaves.

* * *

"Loki, why do you keep putting things in my hair?" she swatted his hand away and turned back to her book. Since the feast they had taken to meeting in the gardens when they both had a spare moment. It was the highlight of his week and he had spent most of his free time reading everything he could find about Vanaheim when he should have been studying.

Overall she was a good influence on him; they would talk or read together and sometimes he would help her with her studies. To his surprise he had learned that they had both been taught by Kvasir, who had supposedly taken his own life upon finding no one who could match his intellect. That didn't sit right with him; the wise Kvasir lived to pass on his knowledge and could find a lively conversation with anyone no matter how clever they were. He had told Sigyn of his suspicions but she refused to speak of it. The more he thought about it, there were a lot of things she refused to talk about.

"I want to see how many flowers I can weave into it, is that so terrible?" he replied innocently and added another violet, he was up to fifty seven.

"I do not mind the flowers. It's the spiders that generally cause the problems."

"Well you're practically asking for it by wearing it down all the time. A trickster can only resist so much." he wanted to tell her that her hair was like a river of tarnished gold. He wanted to run his fingers through it like he had done the other night; only instead of comforting her while she cried it would be in an embrace.

"I must wear my hair down until my wedding day, as well you know. You simply have a bizarre fixation with women's hair."

"Well I'd hardly call it bizarre."

"You cut off all of Sif's hair, she was completely bald. It was mortifying." Loki smiled; he knew the Vana were very protective of their hair as they believed it to be the source of their magic. They would never cut their hair or trim their beards and would wear it loose until they were married. A shorn head was the mark of murderers and thieves.

"You laughed, that makes you partially responsible. Plus she claimed her hair was fairer than yours, I was just eliminating your competition."

"You never quite know where the line is, do you?"

"Lines are boring. Rules were made for breaking, and if we were married I would never let you braid your hair, even if it reached the ground."

* * *

"Sigyn?" he called out again, although his voice had lowered itself to Thor's familiar bellow. "Sigyn, are you all right?"

She looked up in terror and he saw that her face was streaked with tears, tears that he had probably caused but she had been too proud to show him. He quickly ignored the guilt that twisted his heart at the sight of her.

"Thor? How did you know I was here?" she said warily with a barely guarded terror at the thought of being discovered. He might have used his disguise to fool her a little longer but there were more important things at hand and he had hurt her enough that night.

"Not Thor, my dear, something far more useful." He dropped the helmet into her lap and felt the subtle change in his body as he returned to his Aesir form. She scrambled to her feet and he could see the astonishment on her face.

"Loki? How is that even possible?" she cried, clearly impressed. Even through her fear and hatred of him she was still amazed by his magic, the thought warmed him. Perhaps this would be easier than he thought.

"Tell me, how much do you know of Sigurd Fafnirsbane?"

"He slew the dragon Fafnir and returned his cursed gold to Asgard."

"Ah that is the part everyone remembers, but Fafnir was not born a dragon, and the gold was not his cursed treasure." He explained. "You see, the Tarnhelm is a most powerful relic, it can grant invisibility to all who wear it but a more skilled sorcerer can use it to change form, not by mere illusion but a true transformation. Sigurd was said to have been so skilled in its wielding that he was able to use it to travel between realms."

"And once you learned of this, the first thing you think to transform yourself into is Thor? That's not telling at all…" Sigyn raised an eyebrow and Loki felt himself flush with annoyance. He had thought himself above comparing himself to his brother now that he had shunned his former family, but old habits were hard to shake.

"That is of no consequence. Do not ask me how it was done, it simply happened. The Helm of Dread has many properties but it will take me a while to master them. Now I have an idea that might be able to get you what you want but I will need time, and we do not have much of it left if we stay here. If the stories are true and it is able to change a man's form then I have good reason to believe that its third enchantment is also real."

"It might not work. They are only stories after all."

"I have every confidence that it will. Now we will need a place to hide while I discover its properties." He said "And I know the perfect place."

* * *

**To be Continued...**


	5. The Mead of Poetry

**Chapter Five**

**The Mead of Poetry**

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******Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of Marvel and are based on Norse and Germanic mythology. The Tarnhelm is a creation of Richard Wagner. A lot of creative license has been taken...**

******A/N : Many thanks for all the feedback. I've grown really attached to this story. However due to uni deadlines next week's chapter might be a bit late.**

* * *

"You seem to be settling in here, Sigyn Gulveigsdottir." The imposing figure dressed in gold peered at her through his remaining eye. He had supposedly lost it in battle during the Jotnar War but there were whispers that he had exchanged it to gain wisdom of how to defeat the giants. Instead of meeting with her in his hall, Sigyn had been taken to a private reception room to meet with Odin and Frigga. Above them his two faithful ravens kept watch, peering at her with beady black eyes, but far more disconcerting was the severed head that hung by its long white hair from a hook on the wall its milky eyes staring out at nothing in particular. The head of Mimir, the thing that had started this mess.

"Yes Allfather." She could not even meet his gaze knowing what he had done. He had no right to even speak her mother's name.

She had grown used to being in the queen's presence and to her surprise she had found good company in the older woman. She had never known her mother and the only woman she had been close to in her previous life had been Freya who was a lot of things but maternal wasn't one of them. The occasional sense of loss aside, she saw nothing wrong with being raised largely by men, and as a child she had been passed around and doted upon by each of the higher ranking Vanir and had never wanted for love. Kvasir the Wise had been responsible for most of her education and had taught her everything from the alphabet to philosophy and politics. Heimdall had taught her to read the stars, Njord had taught her to swim and to sail, Frey trained her to fight and Freya had introduced her to magic.

"I had hoped you would live with us from the beginning under my protection, but that idea was opposed by both sides. However, given the circumstances it would be advisable for you live and continue your education here and cease your activities among Asgard's Vanir community." Odin continued. "Your concern for your people is admirable. You could probably teach my sons a things or two about taking responsibility. But though your actions were well intentioned they were the rash actions of a naïve girl and you have still disobeyed me. I would ask that you would come to me with any problems regarding Vanaheim and its citizens in the future."

"What of Kvasir, were his actions not well intentioned?" Sigyn spoke up, the old man's eyebrows shot up; clearly it had been a while since anyone had dared to interrupt him. But instead of the rage she had expected for her disrespect his face showed only sadness.

"Regrettably Kvasir was guilty of a lot more than writing a few pamphlets. He proved them as such when he chose to take his own life rather than face the shame of being put on trial." He handed her a letter and a small box from his desk. "I can only offer you my condolences." She could only fight back tears as she took the letter, she noticed that it had already been opened and could bear no more.

"You lie. You could have stopped this. This treaty, this 'temporary' treaty forged during wartime has gone on long enough and you have allowed it to since it has given Asgard the upper hand and made you our master. How many more lives must be lost before our realms can be reconciled."

"As your guardian and your king I would advise you to watch your tone."

"You are no king of mine."

"Your highness, you are entitled to be upset. Take some time to grieve and collect your thoughts. And when you are ready we shall discuss the situation in Asgard." Frigga stepped in before the quarrel could escalate further and Sigyn stormed out through the double doors and into the echoing hallway.

* * *

"Midgard. That's your great idea?" Sigyn said incredulously. "We go to the place where you almost destroyed a city not months ago. They would kill you on site and me along with you."

"You are right to be cautious, but with the Tarnhelm we would be able to hide with ease. And the only other place I know how to get to is Jotunheim, and we definitely don't want to go there."

Sigyn shivered at the very thought of going to such a place, or what was left of it. Like everyone else she had been raised to believe the giants to be monsters, but since Loki's attempt to destroy the frozen world she had begun to doubt such notions. Monsters or not, no living thing deserved a fate such as that.

Suddenly the dried leaves that surrounded them shivered into life but there was no breeze to move them. Within moments they had arranged themselves into a face, a very familiar face.

"Your highness, are you all right?"

Loki jumped at the apparition "What is that horror from the beyond? Oh it's only Heimdall, never mind."

"You should not have released him, you highness." said Heimdall turning to look at her companion. He was using an old scrying method to contact her. He had used it several times over the years to leak important information to her, but there was always a risk of being caught.

"It wasn't the wisest decision I admit, but I cannot deny he has a way with magical relics." Sigyn sighed. "Tell me, how could you not know that the Tarnhelm had shape-shifting properties?"

"I cannot see it, even in the flesh it is hard to focus on. Forgive me I did not know. I could not see you after you left and then I saw you in the forest weeping, I could only assume the worst." Heimdall replied.

"I am fine, I was not expecting this to be easy, but what's done is done." The princess reassured him. "But there's a chance we might be able to use the Tarnhelm's energy to cross between realms."

"So you can't see the helmet either? What's the matter? Getting a little near sighted in your old age? Oh this thing is just getting better and better." Loki interrupted "Not that I've ever had trouble evading your gaze, Heimdall. Don't worry my darling I won't tell him what you promised me in exchange for my help. Oh…sorry."

"Be silent, Liesmith, you will show respect in the presence of royalty." Heimdall growled. "I have news. The rioting in Eostrestad had died down but a second attack has been planned once the rebels have regrouped and armed themselves. You will have roughly three days in which to intervene or there will be more serious casualties."

"Three days, we can get there in three days can't we?" Sigyn said, more to convince herself than anyone else.

"I'm feeling confident. But just in case we can't travel by way of magic helmets, I have a backup plan." Loki grinned "And you my former ice sculpture can help us." The face in the leaves scowled, if faces made of leaves could scowl. "If we cannot get the Tarnhelm to work in time we will need to find a way to st-borrow the Tessaract."

"The Destroyer holds the cube in its hands, no one but the Allfather may touch it." Heimdall sniffed.

"So I've heard. But if we signal you with our location and you announce that I am attacking Midgard once again then it might be enough to lure Thor to earth. He has become overly fond of the place after all. Then we will simply ambush him and take it. "

"I will do as you ask, but only because I look forward to watching him hammer you into the ground like a rusty nail." Heimdall answered. "Pray that you do not need to resort to such things." And with a rustle of dry leaves he was gone as suddenly as he'd appeared.

"You certainly like to toy with danger. How could you even consider getting Thor involved? He will bring his warriors and we will be outnumbered." Sigyn objected as they journeyed through the forest towards the western edge.

"Danger is my middle name. And besides I'm sure it won't come to that. Show a little faith in my abilities."

"Very well, Loki Danger Odinsson."

"Not Odinsson. I rejected that name a long time ago." It amazed her how quickly his mood could change as his demeanour darkened visibly and she could almost see the cold and desperate creature that lurked beneath his skin.

"I'm sorry." Ever since she had seen his Jotnar form there had been a deep tension between them that she didn't want to face.

"Why did you not tell anyone?" that was certainly not the question she had been expecting.

"We all thought you dead; what would telling people have achieved?"

"Did you mourn? I seem to recall you grieved for years when Kvasir decided to end it all. Did you weep for me?" Sigyn didn't answer. She wasn't going to admit how distraught she had been or how guilty she had felt for parting on such bad terms. "So you did? Sigyn, you'll make me blush."

* * *

"To my two most promising students, I must bid you farewell though it breaks my heart to do so in a letter. By the time you read this letter I will be dead. Since I will not be able to see to the rest of your education, I can only leave you with the tools to continue on your own. The first is my private library which I have donated to the house of Odin for your personal use. The second, enclosed with this letter is a flask of Skaldic Mead that gives the gift of language to whoever drinks it. For you must remember that words can be more powerful than any magic or any sword if chosen wisely." Sigyn read out loud as Loki examined the strange liquid; it had been sealed in a box with a magical lock that could only be opened its owner. She had been surprised that her tutor would include the young prince in his will, which had been among the letters she had been given. The second letter had contained an extensive confession and pages and pages of apologies.

"That's so typical of Kvasir, setting us further reading from beyond the grave." Loki said before taking a tentative sip of the mead while Sigyn continued reading.

"I have made you this by mixing my blood with honey so that it will absorb my knowledge." Loki quickly spat the wine out again.

"That's disgusting! You could have warned me."

In any other situation, she would have laughed but the contents of the second letter had weighed down on her conscience and she was in low spirits. Still she was grateful for the company that Loki provided. She had even grown rather fond of him in spite of herself. He had an odd sense of humour and a blatant disregard for the rules of Aesir society that only royalty could get away with. And even without Kvasir's blood he could talk eloquently on almost any subject.

"I think you should show a little more respect for the dead, Loki." She said angrily. "He always spoke so highly of you. The blood of a God is an incredibly powerful substance, you should be grateful that he chose to share it with you."

"You're right, that was rude of me." He placed the rest of the mead on her desk and took her hand in his. "I'll ask father for the books. Perhaps we could dedicate a room in the royal library to them, as a memorial."

"I would like that very much." She replied feeling her eyes well up with tears at such a touching suggestion. Loki was not what you would call reliable, but one thing she had noticed about him was that he would always fix his mistakes, no matter how catastrophic they were.

"It will be our own private haven. We'll decorate it together and shut ourselves in every evening and read adventure stories."

* * *

"You know it really doesn't matter if I grieved for you or not, you're here now and it seems as though I'm stuck with you. Shall we get a move on? Because I think we've stalled long enough." dawn was almost upon them as they reached the outer rim of Asgard to place called the Nightcliffs, a rocky overhang that jutted over the world's edge with nothing but a sea of stars below. She could hear the alarm in the distance, it was fair to assume that their escape had been discovered. Loki looked nervously in the direction of the city.

"Of course, I made a promise to get you to Vanaheim and to Vanaheim we shall go, with a slight detour through Midgard. Now instead of diverting the power of the Bifrost to create a temporary portal in space we're going to have to use a natural one, but we'll have to time it carefully."

"Time what? What are you even talking about?"

"What astronomical event is visible tonight and travels through all the nine realms?" she looked over the edge to where Nidhogg approached its destination.

"Oh you can't be serious. You'll get us both killed!" Sigyn cried in disbelief.

"What's the matter, Sigyn. Never chased a dragon before?"

* * *

**To be continued...**

**A/N : Loki thinks free falling through space is the solution to everything. **


	6. The Battle of Nightcliff

**The Liar's Bargain - Chapter Six **

**The Battle of Nightcliff**

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**Disclaimer : I don't own Thor or any of its characters. If I did it would probably have an R rating.**

**A/N : Yes it's been a while. Sorry about that. But it's quite a long chapter so hopefully that makes up for things a little bit. So on with the story...**

* * *

"Father, I-"

"You wish to extend the royal library as a monument to Kvasir's memory." his father already knew the question before he had even asked it. The Allfather had a way of knowing everything, and it set Loki on edge. He would have to find a way of hiding himself through magic. He would not have been able to do such a thing before, but since he had drunk the Skaldic Mead his whole perspective seemed to have changed. Words came to him more easily now, ideas came to him easily, he was thinking about things in ways that never occurred to him before.

"I would see to it myself; I need only your permission."

"My son, it is a most admirable idea, and you have my full permission." Loki couldn't help smiling at the surprise. He wasn't used to getting his way when it came to such large projects. He often suspected that his father didn't think him up to such tasks. He was always deemed too young or too flighty or too inexperienced. And as for going to battle, he had given up asking a long time ago. He doubted his father would ever deem him ready for that.

"I would only ask, is this an act of remembrance or is it something else?" Damn, he knew! Well of course he knew, he was the most powerful being in all the nine realms.

"Father, you once said that you would allow Thor and I to choose our own wives instead of going through with an arranged marriage."

"And you wish to court Sigyn of Vanaheim."

"I wish to court Sigyn of Vana- yes, that's right. I want to present this library to her as a... love token of sorts."

"You know, most suitors give their ladies flowers."

"I'm not most suitors." Loki retorted "May I have your blessing, Father?"

"That's out of the question, you are both too young."

"Well I wasn't planning on marrying her right away. But would it not be a good match, it could forge a lasting peace treaty with the Vanir."

"Lady Sigyn is a hostage here, and under Asgard's protection. You are not to get involved. While she lives in these halls you must live as brother and sister. Do I make myself clear?"

"But there's no law that says foreign hostages cannot marry." Loki argued but suddenly the answer hit him. "Or perhaps you're not opposed to her marrying; you're just opposed to her marrying me. If Thor had asked you the same question, what would you have said?"

"I would have given the same answer." his father replied.

"Why do I not believe you?"

"My son, the situation is more complicated than that, it will take more than a royal wedding to resolve things. If you were to promise yourself to her then go back on your word, it could prove to be a disaster." So that was the reason. Not even his own father trusted him to keep his word and the realisation cut him like a knife. "You are young, you do not yet know your own heart."

* * *

The morning of Prince Loki's trial arrived at long last. It had been postponed by several months while the Allfather recovered from the weakened state he had put himself in, in order to send his son to earth. In the meantime Thor had taken over the day to day running of the kingdom while Frigga had fallen further into despondency. To have one son return only to lose another had been bad enough but to learn that Loki had been returned alive but would likely be tried and executed, that was too much to bear.

The alarm had been raised when the guards had been sent to fetch the prisoner, but instead of finding the former prince in his cell there had only been a doppelganger of the trickster that disintegrated into thin air when they reached to grab him. The queen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when she heard the news.

"It appears that Sigyn Gulveigsdottir is also missing." Her husband continued to explain. "Which would lead me to believe that you already knew about this, my Lady?"

"I may have had a vision, my Lord. But would you seriously expect me to stand by while you sent our son to his death?"

"It would not have come to that. You should have come to me immediately. Now two of Asgard's most powerful threats are roaming loose; all because of your indulgent heart. On their own they might have at least been manageable but together...together they could set things in motion that could destroy all of us or had you forgotten about the prophecy."

"Oh hang your thrice damned prophecy! Did I not warn you about tampering with such things? Prophecies should not be spoken; they always have a habit of fulfilling themselves."

"And if they are not spoken?"

"They come to pass but we are none the wiser."

They had been arguing on the topic for so long that he already knew her opinion on the matter and she had long since given up trying to change his, they were simply going through the motions. Many years ago, before Sigyn had been born, Queen Gulveig of the Vana, rival of Odin and Mistress of all Sorcerers had stood trial in that very hall for crimes against peace. When the verdict had been given she had scornfully predicted a series of events that would lead to the downfall of Odin and all who followed him.

"What do you plan on doing about it?" she said.

"Heimdall tells me he cannot see them, and without the Bifrost the Hjildskalf is rendered useless. I have sent the ravens after them, and Thor is leading a search party, they cannot have gone far."

* * *

"We'll split up and cover more ground, the Warriors Three shall search inland towards the mountains, Sif and I shall take Sleipnir and cover the outer forests, and the rest of you must search the city in case he is in hiding. Remember, Lady Sigyn of Vanaheim is also missing, we believe he has taken her prisoner, so take care how you approach."

"So it's true then, Sigyn is missing." Lady Sif asked once the guards had left.

"I'm afraid so. I'm sorry; I know the two of you used to be close." Thor replied, sensing her concern.

"I spoke with her only last night, I should have stayed with her. I could have prevented this. Why would he even take her?"

"I do not know. Sigyn has always been a bit of a sore point for him, she was the first maiden to reject him you see."

"The first but by no means the last." Fandral laughed.

"This is no time for jokes my friend." Thor said sternly. "Let's go. We must move quickly."

* * *

"So we just have to jump, correct?" Sigyn asked as they sat at the edge of the world and watched the silver comet burn its way through the swirling darkness. She wasn't even trying to hide how nervous she was now, and with good reason.

"That's the theory, yes." Loki was feeling a little nervous himself if he was truly honest with himself, which was never. He still hadn't recovered fully from the last time he had tried something like this.

"Won't we, you know, die horribly in the emptiness of space?" she asked.

"Only if we miss it, I'd say we have a good three minutes before out organs start to rupture, we are gods after all." He'd never tried this way before, the portal was only accessible during Nidhogg's passing and that had only happened twice before in his lifetime. It was hard to believe that they had watched the same comet cross the sky some six hundred years before. He had been an awkward youth blinded by infatuation and she had merely been a frightened child kept against her will.

"Well I suppose you should know." She said. "They say you looked into the void and it tore your spirit asunder, and you were forever changed."

"You're right, I have changed. I remember how I used to be, frightened, at odds with myself. This is who I truly am. This is who I always was. I needed only to be set free. It seems that the Loki you once knew was just another lie."

"Loki, sometimes I think even you don't know when you're telling the truth." She was ignoring his dramatics and it infuriated him, she always did this. There he'd be pouring his royal heart out and she'd just bid him good day. He would have to find another way to get her attention.

"It's nearly time, Sigyn. Would it offend you if I asked you to kiss me?" he asked. He wasn't the only one who had changed. Rebellion seemed to suit the hostage princess. She had always been so guarded, always nervous and prone to depression as though she had resigned herself to her fate. He had liked that once back when he hadn't known any better. She had been a damsel to save and a mystery to solve. But watching her that evening with all her determination and single mindedness and sheer nerve, it was as though she had suddenly come to life like desert flowers after a storm.

"Why would that offend me? You've already tried to kill and rob me this evening. That seems to be more worthy of offense." He looked over at her, knowing that it was a lost cause.

"All part of a liar's game, my darling, and you thwarted me quite spectacularly. Now that I've come to my senses I've had a change of heart. Destroying you would be such a waste." He gave her his most earnest look, "Will you kiss me, Sigyn? If I die today it'll be one less thing to regret."

"I have no plans to die today…" Sigyn replied as she got to her feet, but her words were cut short by the distant sound of thunder.

"What were your plans regarding getting caught?" he had barely sprung to his feet before the crushing force of Mjolnir hit him squarely in the chest, knocking him back to the ground and pinning him there like a shiny green beetle in a display cabinet. He craned his neck to spy the God of Thunder approaching with Lady Sif not far behind.

"It's very rude to interrupt a man while he's wooing, Thor." He growled, struggling under the weight.

"It's very rude to break out of prison the night before your trial, Liesmith." Sif retorted.

"How in all the heavens did you even find us?" Loki growled, and as if in answer to his question Sleipnir trotted out from the undergrowth, for a horse he looked surprisingly sheepish. The damned creature always had a way of finding him. "Oh, you stupid horse. Go home now and think about what you did!"

"Do not blame the horse, Loki. You should not have tried to escape." the man he had once called brother said then turned to the object of Loki's said wooing "You are safe now Sigyn, he can't hurt you anymore." Loki sneered; he must have jumped to conclusions and assumed he had taken her hostage, if only they knew. He was curious now to see what she would do. Would she remain silent and let him be caught? She had the Tarnhelm. If she was determined enough, which she was, she could probably even learn to use the helmet on her own now that he had told her what it could do; she clearly had a strong grasp of magic. Would she have mercy on him? He watched her pause for a moment and knew she was thinking the exact same thing.

"It'll be all right, my Lady, Sif and I will not try to harm you." The God of Mischief smiled to himself. That was the wrong thing to say, Thor.

"Do you both swear it?" she said, sounding frightened and childlike. She had been using that act for centuries now in a streak of lies that almost rivalled his own. He had remembered feeling hurt when he had found out, when she had finally turned on him and showed her true colours. But it was all just a bit of fun really and now that he was in on the joke, it felt like she had finally let him in, even if it was only a little bit.

"I swear it, Sigyn." Thor replied, the poor bastard. Whatever she was planning had to be good.

"And I, now come home with us, it'll be alright." Sif added.

Sigyn made no move to follow them, and instead moved closer to where he lay and examined the hammer that currently crushed him, or more specifically the strange triquetra symbol that Odin had once placed on it.

"That's an interesting weapon." She declared, kneeling beside him and read the inscription on the metal "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor. Powerful words, no? One of the Allfather's more interesting abilities is the power to bind and to unbind; this symbol represents his most powerful binding spell, the Valknut." A binding spell?

So it was true, she really did possess the same magic as Odin. But how? Where had she learned such a thing? Did the Allfather teach her, and if he did then why would the old goat share such valuable knowledge with a foreign princess, a hostage no less, and not with his own sons?

"Now a Valknut is particularly interesting enchantment, it can control the mind. It can render men helpless in battle, it can make them fight without thought or fear and make sleeping men walk." Sigyn continued and to his astonishment and everyone else's he assumed, she grabbed the handle of the legendary hammer and lifted it into the air, freeing him from its weight. "So as you see, the weight is not in the hammer, the weight is in your own mind."

The next few moments were a frenzy of confusion. He was not sure who made the first move but he had somehow scrambled to his feet as Sigyn tossed him the Helm of darkness and marched towards their foes. He could have sworn he saw a smile on her face. His lady seemed to be full of surprises.

* * *

Sif could only look on in disbelief as the God of Mischief lunged at her comrade who found himself at a disadvantage at the loss of his weapon. Meanwhile Sigyn stood to face her, Mjolnir in hand although she seemed to be struggling with it; perhaps Odin's magic was too strong for her. Sif felt troubled by the prospect of fighting her, she had never seen her friend in battle or even in training and even with such a powerful weapon she had no armour only a leather jerkin over her tunic.

"I don't want to fight you Sif." She stated flatly.

"Well no, I'd flatten you." Sif replied angrily. She couldn't believe she was capable of doing such a hideous thing. At least now they knew how Loki had escaped, he had used an accomplice. The fight between the two brothers had escalated somewhat, Loki seemed to have learned a new trick where he would disappear into thin air and reappear somewhere else like the coward that he was. "I don't believe you! You were working for him all this time. After everything he's done."

"He works for me."

"I don't understand."

"You don't have to. It's best if you don't get involved."

"You know I can't do that. I'm very sorry, but you are an enemy of Asgard and it is my duty to stop you."

"Then so be it." Sigyn declared and stood her ground as Sif attacked her with her bladed quarterstaff feeling an unexplainable pain in her heart. At first it was small, she thought it was guilt at doing battle with the only girl she had called friend but when the blow was dealt she was in such pain that she could barely lift her arms and fell to the ground writhing in pain. What trickery was this?

"I'm sorry, believe me. I'm so very very sorry." She heard Sigyn say and finally drop the hammer with a thud on the grass. She then turned to her underhanded companion. "Loki, it's time, we must jump now or we'll miss our chance!"

To Sif's astonishment, she looked over at Thor only to watch as he was pinned to the ground by what looked like a giant green dragon, fire and scales and everything. But there hadn't been dragons in Asgard for thousands of years, where in the Nine Realms had it come from? Was that…Loki? The terrifying creature growled and released the God of Thunder, grabbed the hostage princess in its talons and fly at full speed over the edge of the cliff. The last thought that crossed Lady Sif's mind before she lost consciousness was "Well, that was certainly unexpected."

* * *

To be continued...


	7. Frozen

**Chapter Seven - Frozen**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of Marvel and are based on Norse and Germanic mythology. The Tarnhelm is a creation of Richard Wagner. A lot of creative license has been taken...**

**A/N - I'm soo so so sorry for the long wait. Masters degree stuff happened and required a lot of my time and attention. But at long last here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

The last time the great dragon crossed the night sky, a young princess was presented to the court. Thor had never been properly introduced to her before but he was aware that she was one of Sif's friends so she must have been worth knowing. She had entered the hall that evening, wearing traditional Vanir dress in royal blue silk to represent the colours of the fallen house of Gulveig and ropes of pearls from the oyster farms of Eostrestad, the floating city that the Vanir had named their capital.

It had been a defiant choice of wardrobe. The ways of the Vanir were often looked down upon for being too extravagant, too soft, and too reliant on magic. That's what had lost them the war, the Aesir would declare; a once proud and powerful empire that had grown fat and lazy from its riches. Those people often forgot that Asgard had taken most of those riches for itself and now the aristocracy lived in golden palaces that touched the clouds. But rather than hide her heritage away and integrate like the other hostages and immigrant workers, Lady Sigyn displayed herself with pride and strength and it was that strength that convinced Thor that he would like her very much.

It wasn't just him that she worked her magic on. Despite their differences Thor knew his younger brother as well as he knew himself and he could tell by a glance that Loki was absolutely captivated by her.

That had been a long time ago, back when his brother's tricks had been mostly harmless and Sigyn's rebellion had been restricted to her clothes. But even then their love had already been corrupted by politics and centuries of bad blood. But Loki seemed oblivious to it all; he had been struck by the first arrows of adolescent infatuation and pursued her without caution. Thor didn't know the exact details of what had happened next, Loki refused to even speak of it, but he could make a fair guess that his brother had rushed in and proposed without their father's permission, probably with some grandiose romantic gesture full of magic and fireworks and the poor girl must have had to turn him down as gently as possible. There was an old saying that Vana women were like hazelnuts, wonderfully sweet once you get past their tough exterior but if you move too fast they'll break your teeth. Thor wondered if Sif had any Vanir ancestors lurking in her family tree.

He had thought that had been the end of it. His brother seemed to recover quickly from the rejection, at least on the surface, but something was not entirely right with the younger Odinsson. He grew more capricious every day, sometimes disappearing for months on end when not even Heimdall was able to see him. His tricks had taken on a more malicious nature, some of the servants and palace guards left without warning, complaining that they could not live with the stress of it. He suddenly seemed to race through a steady stream of lovers without even trying to be discrete. These were not the actions of a late bloomer on the apple tree of love, this was compulsive bordering on deranged. As though he had suddenly decided that if he couldn't be loved in his own home then he would accept it in any form from anyone who offered.

_Lock up your daughters, your wife, and your son_

_For none are safe from the Silver Tongue_

That had been a particularly obscene verse some anonymous penman (possibly Loki himself) had scrawled on the wall outside the sparring arena. Thor had been incensed. By the stars, it didn't even rhyme! But for all of his philandering he'd always go out of his way to get Sigyn's attention in one way or another, until she eventually refused to show her face in public anymore.

Not only that but his magic and his already impressive intellect seemed to blossom overnight. Loki had always shown great promise in the field of magic. Thor remembered sitting up at the table in the royal nursery and suddenly finding the milk in his cup had curdled into a soft cheese. He looked up to see his infant brother, who couldn't even stand up on his own yet, giggling and clapping his chubby hands as though it was the funniest thing in the world. But what had once been a few harmless party tricks had turned into sometime far more formidable. Loki's illusions were legendary, quite literally. He began to become useful, even though there was a lot of disapproval of the use of magic in battle. All of a sudden his little brother was able to match him in battle. The other warriors dismissed it as cheating, but Thor knew that there were no rules where real warfare was concerned.

He found it strange that Loki had suddenly managed to convince Sigyn to his side. He hadn't known how he had managed it, or what he would need her for once she had freed him. But then she had broken the spell on Mjolnir and managed to floor Lady Sif without even touching her. And Loki, well he had added a few new tricks to his repertoire.

He had been told that the prodigal prince had a Jotnar form that he would revert to when he came into contact with a frost giant or Jotun magic, but nothing had been said about a dragon form. It frightened him a little to realise that they weren't even trying, just trying to fight them off while they made their escape. If the girl had called him off he was sure that the serpent might have ended him. But when they were gone, he and Sif, unharmed in all but pride had returned to the palace to recall what they had seen. Heimdall was already there waiting for them with his mother at her usual place by her husband's side, although looking more worried than usual, and his father, still unwell and frail sat on the golden throne Hlidskjalf although its magic was long gone.

"Good Heimdall. Did you see where they went?" Thor said when he had finished his story.

"The last time Loki caused such troubles he was issuing an invitation, he wanted you to come after him. This time is different. They do not wish to be seen and they are powerful enough to evade my gaze." The Allseer replied in his usual calm tone that revealed nothing of his emotion or intention.

"Then what are we to do?" Sif asked.

"They were on the Nightcliffs and flew off the edge. There is a hidden portal there, one of the lost branches of Yggdrasil that can only be seen when the Dragon crosses the sky. That portal leads to Midgard and that is where they are heading." Heimdall explained.

"Then we must follow. You know what happened last time, who knows how many more, will die."

"Sigyn said something strange before she bewitched me. She said 'He works for me.'" Sif interrupted. "If that's true then I don't think Sigyn would have any interest in invading Midgard."

"I'm afraid Lady Sif is right. It is likely that Sigyn is the one giving orders."

"I don't understand."

"The princess is more than she appears, Thor. For centuries now she has been watching us, learning our weaknesses and biding her time. She has decided to strike when we are at our most vulnerable and enlist the aid of one of our most powerful enemies. She may be small and weak in body, but she is resistant to all magic and can break any spell. She is the goddess of loyalty, but not in the way you would expect for she can bind you to your word and enforce your obedience. Both of you swore you would not try to harm her, and now you are powerless to defend yourselves against her until she decides to break the spell. It is likely that she has done the same to Loki. However, Midgard is of no consequence to her. She seeks only to reclaim Vanaheim's independence like her mother before her. When they get there our armies will be waiting for them."

"We should never have let her be raised at Noatun, we should have adopted her immediately and made sure she was prepared to take power instead of leaving her to be influenced by those bitter old men." Frigga chimed in. Thor shook his head at that, because raising the children of foreign kings had worked so well the first time.

Noatun was a small island a few miles off Asgard's coast where most of the Vanir hostages and expatriated nobility had built their homes. He had only visited the island once as a small boy, when Kvasir had still been alive. They had been given a lesson in fishing down on the beach which he had found rather boring, and remembered a little girl with golden curls row by in a strange round boat called a coracle closely followed by Freyr who made sure she did not go too far and fall over the edge. He hadn't known it then, he had been too caught up in wishing he could be allowed to sail at that age, but that had been his first glimpse of Sigyn of Vanaheim.

"If they are trying to reach Vanaheim, then perhaps they are looking for another lost path on Earth. Loki knows the area well. He could be acting as her guide." Thor replied after giving it some thought.

"What do you mean he knows the area well? He's only been to Earth once." Frigga asked angrily, even though he was Asgard's most hated enemy, she was still Loki's mother and was still as overprotective as a lioness.

"Well, where did you think he went all those times he went missing, under a rock? He's been meddling with mortals for centuries now."

"And you knew about this? Why didn't you do something?" Thor sighed, why did he always get the blame for these things? Whenever he got into trouble it was always 'You're setting a bad example for your brother' but whenever Loki did something his parents would say 'Why weren't you watching him? Why did you let him do that when I left you in charge?" it seemed like he could never win. Loki had always accused him of being the favourite son, and perhaps he was, but he didn't know how much pressure he had always been under with his father's impossible standards and almost constant disappointment, how much responsibility had been forced on him while Loki had been left free to do as he pleased with only a quick slap on the wrist when he messed things up_. 'Take care of your brother, Thor. He's only little.' _

"That doesn't matter now. What matters is I think I might be able to stop them before they get too far. Send me to Earth and I'll follow them alone. If I succeed we will be able to avoid a battle altogether."

"And how will you find them?"

"I have friends there that might be able to help." Midgard was a big place, but the technology of the humans had advanced since his father had last visited, and he knew a certain woman who specialized in things that fell from the sky.

"Very well, but reasons you already know I cannot send you to Midgard with a way out. The Tesseract must remain in Asgard at all costs. Signal Heimdall if you are successful and I will send my guards to retrieve you. But if you fail, we march on Vanaheim."

* * *

Sigyn kept her eyes closed as they went into freefall. Out of all the ways she had imagined herself dying, plummeting over the edge of the world in the claws of a dragon had never occurred to her. It had been shameful and she would never admit it to anyone, but she had seriously considered ending her life once.

While self-sacrifice was considered noble in both Aesir and Vanir cultures, giving in to despondency was not. It had been a dark time when her imprisonment and constant supervision had seemed endless and all talks regarding Vanaheim had been postponed indefinitely and the comfort she had once found in Loki's friendship had soured like old wine. She had felt useless and alone, with no power to control her life. She had stolen nightshade berries from the queen's garden but in the end she could not bring herself to swallow the poison but had kept the juice in the empty vial that Kvasir had once sent his blood in. One never knew when such things would come in handy.

Once they had cleared the edge everything had happened so quickly that she was unsure if they had even moved at all. But it had been cold, so very very cold and she had felt blinded and paralysed and crushed from all sides like she had been frozen solid and she had thought 'This is it, I always knew that bastard would be the end of me.' And then the pain had ended as soon as it had begun as they hit the ground with deafening crash and what sounded like breaking glass. Something cold and dense like frozen meat had her in a vice grip and had broken her fall as they hit the ground and rolled in the dry earth before coming to a complete halt.

Bruised and probably sporting a few broken bones, she dared to open her eyes then to assess the damage, the first thing she saw was that the cold thing that had grabbed was Loki, not as she recognised him but transformed into the frigid flesh of a Jotnar. He must have frozen them both before the change in pressure killed them. The second thing that she noticed was that she had somehow ended up lying on top of him and the third was that that sky was definitely not an Asgardian sky. They had made it. She was finally free of that place.

The blue tinge fell away from Loki's skin as quickly as it had appeared and the usual warmth returned to his body as he slowly awakened. A wave of relief washed over her. Not because of any sort of sentiment, she reasoned with herself ignoring the way her heart sped up a little, she just didn't want to end up alone and stuck in a strange realm. He looked up at her, seeming a little confused about where he was for a moment in a way that might have looked adorable on him a few centuries ago, but definitely didn't melt her heart now, no no definitely not.

"Am I dead?" he asked.

"Not today." She grinned. "We made it. That was amazing!"

"That? That was nothing, you just waltzed in stole Thor's hammer."Loki laughed and raised himself on his elbows.

"Well what about you turning into a bloody dragon, I didn't even know that was possible." She countered, feeling oddly elated now that they were safe again.

"Well you were able to take down Sif, now that is an impressive. I admit the two of you fighting has always been a fantasy of mine, the only different is you're fighting over me and I have to settle the matter by bedding both of you at once."

"And once again you prove that your mind is stuck permanently in the gutter." She scolded, or at least tried to; she was in too much of a good mood and couldn't help laughing but winced when the effort of it brought a stab of pain in her side. Now that the exhilaration had worn off she began to feel just how injured she actually was.

Without missing a beat Loki rolled her onto her back and began checking her for injuries and with a strange blue glow around them she began to feel her ribs move back into place and heal, along with the other minor wounds.

"I didn't know you knew healing magic." She said after the magic had done its work.

"It's a useful skill to have, especially when you're me." He replied noncommittally. Healing without potions was incredibly difficult to master and even harder to perform on yourself.

"Is there anything you can't do?" that same sad look passed across his face but he covered it quickly with a sly grin.

"I can't believe I naked on a beach with you and you haven't even noticed yet." He answered. "When I wish for things, I should probably be more specific."

Sigyn glanced down then averted her eyes as fast as she could. Loki was indeed completely naked. That must have been one of the drawbacks of turning into a thirty ton dragon. "I- Oh dear you really are naked aren't you."

"Oh you're welcome to look. I'm rather confident about my body."

"No thank you, I'm good." She turned beet red, something that happened far too easily with her pale skin, and quickly unfastened her travelling cloak and threw it over him like a blanket. "Can't you just conjure some more clothes?"

"Well yes, but you look so lovely when you blush." Loki chuckled and wrapped the cloak around himself "What do you think of Earth my dear, is it not as beautiful as I described?"

Sigyn stood looked around fully taking in her surroundings for the first time. They were at the edge of a vast lake surrounded by a wild remote landscape of rolling hills and distant mountains. There were lights in the distance, perhaps a human village. The sky was clear and beginning to bruise with the cold light of the approaching day and a single crescent moon still hung in the sky, huge and bright and haunting it its pallor.

"I can't believe we did this." She breathed. His stories of Midgard could always cheer her, and for a while he had brought back gifts every time he went on an adventure and she would wish with all her heart to be free of Asgard. "It's all so beautiful."

He winked at her "Being bad feels pretty good doesn't it."


	8. Meteor

**Chapter Eight - Meteor**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of Marvel and are based on Norse and Germanic mythology. The Tarnhelm is a creation of Richard Wagner. A lot of creative license has been taken...**

* * *

Loki drew the woollen cloak around himself, he might not have had any shame once upon a time but he had been beaten and starved in prison and the result was decidedly unsightly and left him feeling self-conscious and ugly. The cloak smelled of rotting leaves and wood smoke and the scent of Sigyn's hair that he could never quite place but always stopped him in his tracks. He didn't know what had come over him this day, losing his head over a girl. It must have been that spell, it was the only explanation. Some sort of bizarre Stockholm syndrome he'd developed from being kept on such a short leash.

How else could he explain why it felt so hard to breathe when he had healed her, or how his heart sped up as he watched her look around this new realm with such joy and wonder, and especially the happiness he felt knowing that he had brought her that joy. Stupid, why should he care if that seditious little virago was happy or not. She certainly didn't care for him; she had made that perfectly clear. He was better off alone anyway, his attempts to help people always backfired somehow, and he had a feeling this latest venture would only end in tragedy. But he could never cope very well on his own and tending to Sigyn's needs was far better than being alone with his thoughts right now.

Regretfully he stood, stopping to wonder briefly why he was uninjured even though he had taken the full force of the fall. He transformed the cloak into a new set of Migardian clothes. Nothing too conspicuous, just a grey v-neck sweater over a blue shirt and jeans, they were slumming it a little and they didn't hide how thin he had become like his armour did, but this was how commoners dressed in this realm. When he had invaded earth he had discovered that human fashions hadn't changed that drastically since he had last visited properly, some time back in 1967.

He had caused a bit of a scene at one of Asgard's many feasts, and when everyone had ganged up on him he had insulted each of the guests in turn then stormed off to Earth like he normally did when things went wrong. Humans were weak and fearful creatures but once he learned they're ways and how to charm them (and avoid being burned as a witch that one time) they were quite fun to be around with all their resourcefulness and curiosity and all their flaws. They reminded him a little of himself in that respect.

"Is that what they wear here?" Sigyn turned back to him, her golden curls blowing in the breeze.

"It is indeed and so must we if we do not wish to draw attention." He answered reaching out to touch her sleeve and watching as her riding clothes became black jeans a cream knitted sweater and a brown leather jacket and hiking boots. "I know it's not Vanir silk but…"

"Oh no, I like it." She avoided his eyes "They're most practical. As is you magic it seems."

"Well, it's not all dragons and world conquering." Odin's Ravens he sounded like an idiot. "And for my next trick I think it would be prudent to change my face while we're here, so if you'd be so kind and give me the Tarnhelm…" she looked up at him sharply her eyes suddenly filled with blind panic.

"What? I thought you had it last!" then he felt the panic.

"Well I clearly couldn't have had it about my person, so you must have taken it back." He said harshly, what if he'd dropped it when he had blacked out during the fall? Oh by all the horrors in Hel. It could have landed anywhere, if it even landed at all. First the casket, now this? He might as well change his title to Loki: God of losing important magical objects.

"Oh no, when we jumped, you definitely had it. You were still using it." She bit back "Please say you didn't drop it."

"I didn't drop it." He protested.

"Loki, if you tell another lie, I will drown you in that lake."

"Fine! I dropped it. I'm sorry!" he shouted, completely exasperated and humiliated. Stupid.

She backed down then. Fantastic they had gone a record breaking five minutes without fighting.

"Well it can't have gone far." She finally said softly. "You were still a Jotnar when we crashed so maybe it just rolled away somewhere." Loki froze.

"Excuse me? I was a what?" he must have misheard her, why on earth would he have turned into that thing again. He had thought only the Casket had that effect on him. And she had seen it. Again! This was turning into a nightmare.

"You were a frost giant, like before. I think you encased us in ice so that we would be protected out there." He just stared at her dumbfounded. He didn't remember anything about the fall. Or the other fall come to that. Perhaps that was the reason why.

"I don't understand." He was beginning to hyperventilate a little. Out of all the things he was afraid of, this was by far the worst. "And you! Why didn't you say something earlier? And how can you just mention it so calmly like that when I just turned into a monster?"

"I thought you knew." She said angrily "And there are no monsters, only monstrous acts. Of which you have committed many, before you even knew what you were. You can feel sorry for yourself later; we've got a helmet to find." She was about to walk past him when he saw the crater in the hill a mile or so behind her and the human automobile that had parked by its edge. He grabbed her by arm to stop her.

"Do you think that might be it?" he said quietly. Damn they had been discovered.

* * *

The building of the Skaldic Memorial Library was fully underway. His father had given him minimal funds for the project and the suite of rooms he had been given were not part of the main library but in one of the long abandoned eastern towers which had mostly been used as a storeroom for old furniture.

It would hold the largest surviving collection of Vana literature in the Nine Realms. Kvasir had rescued most of it himself from the Royal Library of Eostrastad before it had been destroyed during the war. It also contained the old poet's personal collection, which he had accumulated during his travels, books from every realm in every language. Loki knew that barely anyone would read them; the Aesir saw little value in the writings of foreigners, and even less in un-translated works. It made him a little sad that so much knowledge could be dismissed like that without a second thought, just like him. It didn't matter, he knew one person who would love them and she would be here soon.

While he waited, he had picked out a book at random from on the crates, a mouldering tome on the healing properties of seaweed and was halfway through the first chapter before he realised that it was written in ancient Vanscrift, the dominant language of Vanaheim before Asgardian Runes were enforced as standard throughout the Empire. He nearly dropped the book with surprise. Before, that text would have taken him weeks to translate but he had understood it as easily as his own tongue. Was this another property of the Skaldic Mead? The note had said it would give the gift of language, this must have been what it meant, but it was so much more than that. He found himself learning things so fast these days.

His natural talent for magic had blossomed almost overnight and it seemed as though everything he had tried before were nothing more than silly parlour tricks. His illusions had always been convincing, but now they appeared completely solid until you reached out and touched them. His transformations had never stuck before, always reverting back to their original state after a few hours, and had only been achievable on a small scale. Now they were as good as permanent, and he had moved on to larger objects, although he had yet to master living creatures. He has also begun to look into healing magic; with all the scrapes he got into it seemed like a useful skill.

"Seaweed. Riveting stuff." He looked up slightly startled to see her in the doorway. There weren't many people who could sneak up on him.

"You can read it too?" he asked. Had she drunk the mead and worked it out as well? Had she taken it all for herself? What would he do now, if one sip had helped him so far what would the whole flask be able to do?

"Of course I can, it's my native language." Sigyn said irreverently. Perhaps there was hope after all. Maybe she hadn't thought to try it yet and he could simply slip into her rooms while she was out and…no, he couldn't do that. "I'm surprised you can though. What's that about?"

"I've been taking lessons." He lied, and not very convincingly either. He always seemed to get tongue tied when she was around. He quickly changed the subject. "What on earth are you wearing? You look like a deck hand." An incredibly beautiful deck hand, she was wearing a loose linen shirt that reached her knees, brown suede trousers and a leather belt. He had never seen her dressed so casually before, and it suited her. In fact he had never even seen her legs before; they had always been concealed under those long skirts of hers. He had thought Sif had nice legs but now they paled in comparison.

"You said there would be painting involved, and for all its attributes I didn't think a silk gown would be very practical." She said.

"Would you like to see the rooms?" she nodded and let him take her by the hand and lead her upstairs. "At first I was a little worried about the location, no one ever comes here, but that was before I saw the view." He opened the door to the top room, revealing a golden balcony and a glittering panorama of the eastern quarter of the city and the Island of Noatun beyond. He could hear Sigyn's intake of breath as she saw it and wondered if he had made a mistake.

"It looks so small from up here." She said stepping outside through the French doors. It sounded as though she was talking to herself more than to him. "Njord must be the only one of us left out there. Freya got married, Freyr went missing on Jotunheim. Now Kvasir's dead, and I'm stuck in this place like a looted relic."

"Do you miss it? Your home?" Loki asked. There was a long silence and it occurred to him that what she was saying might prove to be very dangerous indeed. You never knew who could be listening. Searching for some sort of concealment charm was increasingly beginning to sound like a good idea. Asgard, on the surface, seemed like an idyllic realm but with the magic of Odin's throne and the gaze of the Gatekeeper its citizens lived under constant surveillance, none more so than the residents of the palace themselves.

"That was no home, there is nothing to miss." She replied "I miss the people though. They were the closest thing I had to a family." Loki was aware that her mother had been executed, although he had been too young to remember when it took place. He had no idea who Sigyn's father could have been, probably a consort back on Vanaheim, they had a more relaxed approach to marriage vows over there thanks to some sort of magic that allowed people to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Now that would certainly be worth looking into.

They spent the next few hours clearing out the rooms and cleaning them from top to bottom and by the afternoon they had begun painting the top floor which would house a reading room and Kvasir's personal archives. He could have left it all to the servants but when it came to pet projects like this Loki felt it was important to see to every detail himself. And if he came across as a little micromanaging it was only because he was passionate about his work. But Sigyn worked with skill and efficiency and he enjoyed her company so much that she was an ideal working companion. At least compared to Thor who talked too much and had a tendency to get bored after a few hours and insist they go riding or meet his friends at the training grounds.

"I didn't know princesses were in the habit of polishing floors." He joked, earning a wry smile from the girl.

"Oh I've done my fair share of labouring, don't you worry." Sigyn replied "Freyr and I once built a ship. She was a swift one too; we were able to sail to the mainland before the hour was out."

"I'll just take your word for it and assume that's impressive." Out of all the princess-like activities he had imagined, sailing certainly wasn't one of them. But then Vanaheim was famed for its maritime traditions, perhaps its leaders were expected to be skilled on the water. It occurred to him that her clothes might have originally used for that purpose. "So you know about sailing, and carpentry. Any other eccentric hobbies I should know about?"

"I suppose I enjoy gardening once in a while." She said thoughtfully, "That's something they let me do at least."

"Ah of course, no wonder you're the apple of mother's eye at the moment." He teased, perhaps a little jealously. Although he had no doubt that his mother loved him, he suspected that she would have preferred having daughters instead of sons. Or perhaps he was jealous of his mother, for being able to freely demand so much of her time and attention. Although he knew that if he were granted the same luxury he certainly wouldn't squander it teaching her how to paint and prune roses.

"Well, I am rather amazing." If only she realised how much he agreed with that statement. "But on the subject of the queen, it's getting late and I must be going." She turned to leave but he quickly grabbed her hand.

"Could you not stay a little longer?" he protested "I could get some food sent up. You could tell me more about your life, before you came here."

"It is already dusk. Tomorrow, perhaps." She replied, her hand slipping away from his and reaching into a pocket in her shirt and brought out the bottle of skaldic mead she had showed him some weeks before, now half empty. "Before I forget, here's your half. I know you weren't impressed with it the other day, but I believe it'll interest you, if it hasn't already." She giggled "Vanscrift lessons? Is that the best you can do, oh God of Lies?"

"Why are you giving me this?" he asked, amazed that she had trusted him enough to share something this important. He knew that if things were reversed, he would have been selfish, and Sigyn probably knew it. "If you know what it can do." She paused for a moment as if to consider her answer.

"Its maker believed such things were best shared. That knowledge should always be shared. I'm inclined to agree with him." She turned leave and made her way down the spiral stairs "Goodnight Loki." He felt dreadful.

* * *

"Where have you been all morning? You missed all the excitement." Dr Hellquist grinned.

"Excitement? Excitement over what?"

"There was an impact event early this morning, and a big one at that, right down the road from here. People have been reporting sightings all morning." His colleague squeaked handing him the collected data from the previous evening along with a print out from the IRF observatory. "Come on, get your coat."

Erik turned pale. He'd seen readings like those before. He glanced at the blurry image the folks at the observatory had sent over, a huge blue-green fireball descending from the sky, its tail a long streak of light. If he hadn't been so worried, Erik would have found the event rather beautiful, and might not have noticed the strange wing-like shape amongst the light.

"Linda, this isn't really our area. We can't just drive around searching for an impact crater."

"It's exactly our area. Oh come on, where's your sense of adventure." Linda protested "I even have a possible location. Some tourists reported seeing a falling object about five miles away from Jukkasjarvi. Now don't tell me you're not a little curious."

Dr Erik Selvig had never been one to shy away from curiosity. This quality had defined him throughout his life, perhaps even driven him to become the respected physicist he was today. That spark of curiosity had been the thing that had doomed him to get brainwashed and caught in the workings of a despotic Norse God, and in a sense it had been then thing that had kept him sane in the process and eventually helped him escape.

After his ordeal in New York he had handed in his notice at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research division, signed a lot of confidential disclosure agreements, politely turned down a very generous research grant from Stark International, and took the next available flight home.

Since then he had taken a position with the IRF with the department of solar system physics and space technology or SSPT for short. This was partially because studying solar winds sounded fairly relaxing compared to what he's just been through and partially because the IRF's head office was in Lapland, about as far away from S.H.I.E.L.D as he could manage. Not that it mattered, he knew they still had him under observation, but the distance was enough to fool him into thinking that he was done with such things. Now all he had to worry about was collecting data, supervising grad students and flirting with Dr Hellquist (although he was never sure if she was serious when she flirted back).

Erik gave up and followed Linda to her van, a vague sense of dread filling him when he remembered a certain God of Thunder and his parting words.

"What happened to you was no coincidence Erik Selvig. Somehow, my brother knew how to find you. I fear this will not be the last time the Midgard is threatened."

Maybe he was just paranoid, maybe it really was only a meteorite or something similar, and old habits were hard to break, he really did want to see what the event was. He decided that an investigation would be better than not knowing what was out there. If things began to look dangerous he would simply have to drag Linda back to the car and get them out of there, if there even was any danger at all, he knew he had become slightly paranoid lately. Still he sent a quick text message to Jane 'Unusual meteor strike, something not right. Going to investigate.' Before following Hellquist to her van.

The Drive from the research centre was short, surrounded by the harsh beauty of the surrounding landscape. It was still summer but soon everything would be plunged into snow and constant darkness. There were a few mining towns, more than a few nature reserves and the occasional tourist spot, it was quiet but quiet was exactly what he was looking for.

It wasn't until they found the impact site that he truly began to worry. It had been easy to spot, the thing had taken out half of the hillside, and Erik felt uneasy at how narrowly it had missed the town on the other side of the lake. Linda parked the van near the edge of the crater and half walked, half slid towards the strange object at its centre.

"Linda, wait! You don't know what that thing is!" Erik called and jogged after her.

"It looks like…Is that a helmet?" His colleague knelt beside the object that as he got closer looked as though it was made out of some sort of black crystal. Or perhaps it was transparent, or perhaps it wasn't there at all and there was only a shadow on the ground. Whatever it was, he couldn't seem to focus on it long.

"Linda, I don't think you should be touching that." He warned. There was definitely something dangerous about this thing, whatever it was.

"Yes Linda. I definitely wouldn't touch that it I were you." Said a voice from behind them, a voice he still heard in his head sometimes in the midst of his darkest nightmares. He hardly needed to turn around, he already knew what he'd see. Loki, God of Mischief and Lies.


	9. Mighty is the King who wields the Hammer

**Chapter Nine - Mighty is the King who wields the Hammer**

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of Marvel and are based on Norse and Germanic mythology. The Tarnhelm is a creation of Richard Wagner. A lot of creative license has been taken...**

* * *

Erik turned to face the voice but the figure he encountered was miles away from what he expected. Instead of the ostentatious gold armour and green cape he remembered him wearing the God of Lies seemed to have opted for a casual jeans and sweater combo that looked so out of place that Erik almost thought he was dreaming. He was just a ponytail away from looking like his high school drama teacher. He looked smaller than he remembered standing above them on the edge of the crater; thinner, paler if that was even possible, but no less menacing.

Suddenly he remembered a moment, a repressed memory of sorts from the cloudy blue tinted mess of events before the incident in New York. He was about to leave for Germany and he had been wearing a very expensive looking suit and he had wondered briefly how a Norse God from another dimension could have any knowledge of human formal wear. "I know a great deal more about humans than my contemporaries would expect." Loki had told him, as if he had read his mind and had produced an old Polaroid from his jacket pocket. "You could almost argue that this place is my home away from home."

"Is-Is that Keith Moon?" Erik had said in disbelief as he examined the picture of Loki and several young men and women at what looked like a house party in the sixties, a few familiar faces from the time period.

"Dr Selvig, really it has been too long." He was jolted back into the present as the God of Mischief spoke.

"You!" Erik cried, and looked back when he heard Linda drop the helmet or whatever it was to the ground. She may not have known about his involvement in the New York incident, but Loki's face had been plastered over every newspaper and television channel on the planet, along with the unusual team who stopped him.

"I know, what are the chances?" Loki laughed and sauntered towards them "Well as it turns out, if you influence someone with magic enough it forms a… bond of sorts, helps you find your minions. I'm not entirely sure how it works."

"I need a cigarette." He heard Linda mutter. Erik agreed with her, and he hadn't smoked since grad school.

"Is it down there? Can you see it?" a voice called from further down the hill. It was a woman's voice and Erik watched with disbelief as a girl with a lot of curly blonde hair and pale freckled skin came into view beside

"Yes Sigyn, I found it! And look my love, I found some locals." Loki said with a grin that made Erik feel sick to his stomach. "I vote we dispose of them, what say you?"

Sigyn, he definitely recognised her name, so she must have come from Asgard as well. Then it hit him, and the legend of Loki's punishment sprang to mind a tale of inprisonment and venemous serpents. "Loki's wife?" He said out loud and immediately regretted it when he saw the murderous look in the lady's eye, but it was not directed at him.

"See! Are you going to stand for such insolence?" Loki said, less confident than before. The woman was quiet for what felt like an age before she spoke.

"Loki, did you tell the humans we were married?" Sigyn asked, deceptively calm.

"I may have exaggerated a few things." The God of Lies replied with a smirk. "Although in my defence I only recall telling them that I planned to marry you. Perhaps they just assumed I would be successful, because I'm such a great catch."

"I'll deal with you later." the woman, Sigyn, gestured to him... "You there, Selvig wasn't it? You wouldn't happen to be Erik Selvig the scientist, friend of Thor?"

"Yes that's right. And this is Linda Hellqvist, my colleague." Erik called up at her all the while trying to reach for his phone.

"The same Erik Selvig who opened a portal with the Tesseract using only human technology?"

"Well he did, but it was all under my guidance, and he sabotaged the design. Such a transgression cannot go unpunished." Oh he was really hoping the dark haired god had forgotten about that part, but apparently he held grudges.

"Let the man speak, Loki." Sigyn scolded.

"Yes I was working on it for some time." Erik said nervously.

"Marvellous, perhaps you can assist us then." The woman continued pointing to the strange helmet that lay on the stony ground. "The artefact you see here has the ability to transport us to Vanaheim, my home world. The only problem is we do not know how it works. Perhaps a fresh perspective might help."

Erik made a desperate grab for his phone but the God of Mischief was faster than he could hope to be and snatched the device from him, crushing it as though it were a sheet of paper. "Oh dear, no reception." He chuckled and threw the mangled plastic over his shoulder. "See even now he plans to betray us. We can manage on our own, let's just kill them and be done with it." Erik felt his throat close up with panic, he knew this woman literally held his life in her hands, for whatever reason Loki seemed to obey her.

"Now now, there's no need for violence here. Not when you could be of use." Sigyn assured him as she approached; she too was dressed like an ordinary person, had she been alone Erik would have easily mistaken her for a tourist. "Now, the four of us are going to enter a magical contract. I want you both to give me your word that you will not reveal our presence on this planet or tell anyone our location, that you will answer me with complete honesty and without omission and that you will grant our requests to the best of your ability. We in turn will give you our promise that neither of you will come to harm. Does that sound reasonable?"

"That sounds more like a threat than a contract. What if we refuse?" Erik said rather hopelessly, he could give a fair guess to what the answer would be.

"Then I'll leave you alone to get reacquainted with my 'husband'…" he saw her companion look over at her with surprise then grin like the cat who caught the canary. "Now swear your loyalty to me and be grateful that I haven't decided to do away with you instead."

Erik looked back at Linda who looked as white as a sheet and on the verge of tears and knew that they were out of options. He only hoped Jane or S.H.I.E.L.D would notice something was wrong.

"I'm sorry but you have forced my hand. Don't worry, the sooner we can get this thing working the sooner we will be on our way and you shall be free." Sigyn told them sadly.

* * *

"You shared with him the Mead of the Poets, rendered from Kvasir the Wordsmith's own blood? What were you thinking?" The face of Heimdall had emerged from the smooth red marble of Sigyn's desk a though a sculptor had carved it from the rock. He would only send her messages this way when it was safe to do so and there were no prying eyes on magic thrones to see them.

"It was the final wish of that very Wordsmith. Perhaps he saw something in Loki that we do not." The girl replied. Although she was beginning to wonder herself about what the old man had been thinking to include a foreigner in their plans. As soon as she had tasted the wine she knew it contained more than a language spell for as well as learning to read every language in the nine realms practically overnight she had also found that what little magic she posessed had grown exponentially. She had always held the ability to break the bonds of magic, mostly enchanted locks and small spells. For a long time, much to the frustration of her tutors, it had seemed as though this was all she could do. But recently this ability had become more pronounced, and she had been able to remove the alarms Odin had placed on her door should she try to leave after her curfew. Perhaps if she studied magic further she would be able to do more.

"My lady, he is not to be trusted." The face protested. "The old man might have been knowledgeable in the realm of books but he was a poor judge of character. I am sorry, I know him to be your friend, but the young prince is naught but a bad seed."

"You keep saying that yet you refuse to tell me why." Sigyn snapped.

"I am forbidden to speak of it." Heimdall replied.

"I am your queen! Does that mean nothing?" Sigyn shouted "A great man whose mind will never be equalled lies dead, while you in your folly have turned against your own people." She regretted her words as soon as she had said them. Heimdall was not to blame for this predicament, only his master. "Forgive me old friend, I did not mean that. It seems as though Odin will not be satisfied until all our heroes are dead or in chains."

"I do not have long. Keep working on the library, it will prove to be invaluable to you. And please, as your friend, heed my words. Be wary of Loki." Heimdall said, and the visage melted back into the stone as though it were candlewax.

"Cryptic as ever." The girl sighed and stood up to leave her rooms, she was due to meet the prince on the hour to continue work. She had put her skills to use and was in the process of building shelves for the library while Loki sanded and polished the finished units and continued to paint the rooms, and laid protection spells upon the shelves that would carry the more dangerous books of spells.

Now the warning had made her second guess herself, re-analyse every moment they had spent together to search for any sign of wrongdoing. She could think of nothing. Loki had been nothing but kind to her when others at court had avoided her and whispered rumours about her kind and her transgressions behind her back. She had never met a more ignorant people. The only thing wrong was her suspicion that the prince's kindness had gone beyond friendly concern and into the realms of flirtation. She could not be certain of this, perhaps that was merely his way with women and he meant nothing by it, but the feeling remained and Sigyn would be lying if she said she wasn't attracted to him. He was so unlike the other Aesir, but he was not like her kind either. Loki was simply an anomale.

Although the Aesir and Vanir peoples were physically identical they carried vast cultural differences that stretched back hundreds of thousands of years, mostly centering on the use of magic. The Aesir had a deep-seated suspicion of magic and supressed it while her people prized its use above all else and even the most humble passed down an enchantment or two to their children. Asgard had gained its power through battle, Vanaheim through trade and exploration. Sigyn didn't even like to think about Aesir marriage laws, the thought alone made her sick to her stomach.

She was halfway to the library when she saw a familiar broad figure at the other end of the corridor.

"Lady Sigyn, I have not seen you since you since the victory celebrations of Nornheim." He said jovially.

"Thor, how good to see you again." She smiled happily. Sigyn didn't really know the elder Odinsson brother very well, but he was always in good spirits when he talked to her and it seemed to be infectious to all who spoke with him. He was the crown prince, so staying on is good side could prove to be vitally important. Her future could depend on it. "I was just about to see your brother as it happens."

"Oh, do I detect love in the air?" the elder man teased.

"We're building a library."

"Oh so that's what he's been so secretive about. I must admit, I'm a little underwhelmed by the revelation. I had imagined something far more nefarious." The alarm bells that she had felt with Heimdall's words returned and Sigyn thought perhaps the golden eyed seer did have a point after all.

"Does Loki make a habit of involving himself in nefarious deeds?" she asked tentatively. Perhaps if she kept in Thor's company he would be able to tell her something.

"Oh I jest. Towards those who deserve it, there are few men as honourable as my brother. But don't tell him I said that or I'll never hear the end of it." Thor laughed and Sigyn couldn't help laughing with him. But Heimdall's warning weighed heavily on her mind, the Watcher would not have said anything if he hadn't seen something bad. But Loki seemed so earnest she found such a thing hard to believe. Perhaps his brother knew something.

"Perhaps if you're not busy, you could join us." Sigyn suggested. "We could do with an extra pair of hands."

"Stacking books?"

"It involves a little more than that, but yes."

Once they arrived at the library something seemed immediately wrong when Loki saw Thor saunter in ahead of her. The younger brother tensed up and gave her an inquisitive look.

"I found a volunteer on the way." She explained.

"But we're fine, we're on schedule." Loki said angrily.

"And now we can get ahead of schedule and be finished sooner than planned."

"Fine. Do what you want, I'll be upstairs." Her friend muttered coldly and quickly disappeared to the upper floors.

"What was that about?" she said, feeling hurt at how short he had been with her, seemingly for no reason.

"Perhaps this was a bad idea." Thor said, perhaps it was just her but Sigyn had a feeling she wasn't the only one who had had their feelings hurt. "My brother doesn't like me meddling with things he considers private. It's a strange thing really; we used to share everything when we were boys."

"Have I become embroiled in some sort of quarrel?" Sigyn asked.

"I think he believes that our father favours me." Thor replied "Which couldn't be farther from the truth, by the way. But still ever since I joined our armies in Nornheim he has been avoiding me. Truly, I don't know what it is I'm supposed to have done."

"That's certainly no way to treat a person. Let him sulk if that suits him, I still have twelve bookcases to build if you wish to help." She said resolutely.

* * *

"My lady, I have never seen a finer dovetail joint in all the nine realms." Thor whistled with admiration as the first set of shelves clicked together with exact precision. He had never heard of a noble learning such a trade. "Where did you learn to do such a thing?" He knew that he should not be interfering, but he was curious to meet the maid who had caught his brother's eye. He could only hope that Loki would forgive him for such an intrusion, he would have to explain later.

"Mighty is the King who wields the hammer." Sigyn replied. "It's an old Vanir proverb. Our first king, Valhern Starsson began as a humble shipbuilder. One day he discovered a forest of trees with bark of silver and leaves of gold, and knew them to possess a rare magic. He felled the straightest one and fashioned it into a shining mast that allowed him to sail across the stars and discover new worlds. Since then it's been traditional for our royals to learn the craft."

"Mighty is the King who wields the hammer." Thor repeated, not yet realising that one day that very proverb would influence the choice of his weapon in the midst of an armoury filled with glittering swords. "Do you know, I rather like that. I saw you on the water once." He confessed. "It looked most enjoyable."

"I tried to teach Sif how to sail but she was not overly fond of rough seas."

"How did the two of you meet? I am most curious."

"My dearest friend wished to follow the path of a warrior. She sought out someone who would teach her but all in Asgard refused, complaining that the battlefield was no place for a young maiden. She told me once that she disguised herself as a man but was quickly found out. Then she met Freyr who was my teacher and he suggested that the two of us be introduced so that we might learn to fight together."

"So you are a warrior as well?" Thor was once again impressed. Now that he had spoken with her he saw many similarities between the Vana princess and the Lady Sif. In a way it was no wonder they were friends, women of power were rare in the city of Asgard.

"I fear I can never match my friend in skill. But I can wield a blade enough to defend myself should the need arise." Sigyn explained.

"Then you must come and train with us. You're practically one of the family now. You should get more involved."

"Well technically I think we are family. Our mothers were cousins, that makes us…well actually I have no idea what that makes us but it is a kinship nonetheless."

"I did not know that. Does that mean I am part Vanir?" Come to think of it Thor barely knew anything about Sigyn's mother.

"I believe so, even if it is only a small part."

They continued in this way for the rest of the morning, building as they swapped stories. Sigyn spoke of ancient Vanir heroes and Thor mostly told her of his own adventures, but there was a noticeable absence in the library that weighed heavily on his mind. He had a feeling that his brother might turn on the fair maid as he had turned on Sif long ago.

* * *

Once Sigyn had cast a fetter on the two humans she felt as though she could relax. At the very least it had bought them some time, but it wasn't enough. She needed time to think, her quest seemed more impossible by the minute and this world was really no less dangerous for them than Asgard. And who knew what would happen once they arrived at their destination. Hoenir, Odin's puppet of a governor, probably already had orders to arrest them on sight, or worse. She handed Loki the Tarnhelm, noticing that he looked a little disappointed that there wasn't going to be any torture this time around, she frowned disapprovingly.

"Change your face." She demanded. "We need to move away from here, if these two found us others will surely follow."

"As you wish my lady." He sneered, as he put the helmet on where it disappeared and began to rearrange his features into something less recognisable, though his eyes remained the same. "But I assure you there is no improving upon the original."

"Just do it."

"Or perhaps I should just turn myself into a dog, for you treat me no better. At least a hound receives food and affection." Loki complained, running a hand angrily through his hair, which was now light brown and reached no further than his ears.

"Oh? Do you have a complaint about how I run things?"

"I'm just saying I carried you halfway across the universe, at the very least that merits me a hot meal and a nice lie down. And you should do the same; you get all snappy when you're tired. See you're doing it now." Sigyn fumed silently as he addressed the humans once again. "I know what you're thinking. We fight tooth and nail and she refuses to lay with me so we might as well be husband and wife. But I digress, could someone please tell me where the Hel we are, I've seen livelier haunts inside an abyss."

"We're in Swedish Lapland. I work here now." Dr Selvig replied. Sigyn could tell he was fighting against the spell and was probably growing quite uncomfortable in the process. She felt guilty for cursing him so, it was never right to involve civilians in such a way. Humans were such helpless creatures, abusing them just didn't seem fair.

"Lapland? By the stars Selvig, couldn't you get a job somewhere interesting? Surely they have a need for astrophysicists in Rio." Loki said. Sigyn knew next to nothing of Earth's geography, but she had heard stories of the Arctic and how the Jotnar had once settled there. "No matter, we require food and rest, I'm sure that's not too difficult for you."

"We'll go to my place, it's bigger." Linda spoke up.

"Linda, no." the other human protested.

"We don't really have a choice, Erik. I'll call work and tell them you took a fall out here." The woman said and began walking back to the vehicle they had arrived in.


	10. Revelation

**Chapter Ten - Revelation **

**Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of Marvel and are based on Norse and Germanic mythology. The Tarnhelm is a creation of Richard Wagner. A lot of creative license has been taken...**

* * *

**Asgard - Present Day**

"Take care, my son. And be wary, for there are many things we cannot see." The Allfather said taking Thor to one side after he had said his goodbyes. "I am confident that Sigyn can be reasoned with. These are merely the actions of a woman desperate to protect her people. She will see sense when she realises we have her outnumbered. I believe she is more likely to listen to you than me."

"And what of Loki?" Thor asked. Even if Sigyn could be convinced, his brother was beyond reason.

"If Loki is under her control, then that makes him her weapon and her bargaining tool. You must insist she return him to us to face trial. And be sure to keep him alive. Tell her I shall be lenient if she releases your brother to us and returns with you, but if she refuses she must either live in exile or face immediate arrest should she ever set foot in our Empire again."

The only places beyond Asgard's control were Earth, Jotunheim and the desert world of Muspelheim, should Sigyn choose exile she would be reliant on the humans to grant her asylum. Earth was protected by the Treaty of Midgard, which forbade any invasion or claiming of territory from outside worlds. Before the wars it had been declared a neutral zone and the official meeting place for the Council of the Realms. As such, Asgard would only be able to intervene if she violated the treaty as Loki had done months before. Even though she possessed magic and probably had the strength of at least ten Earth men, it still felt wrong to abandon her on a strange world.

"Father, when we fought, Lady Sigyn was able wield Mjolnir. How is that possible?" another thing about this situation that felt wrong. He would not have believed it had he and Sif not seen it with their own eyes.

"I already told you, she can bind and unbind magic. That is where her power lies."

"But this was _your _magic. How did a girl, with barely any schooling in such a thing, break a Valknut seal cast by the most powerful being in all the nine realms? I may know very little about magic, father, but even I know that should be impossible."

"You're right, it should be impossible. For us, magic is a rare occurrence and must be studied for many centuries; we must use tools and artefacts, sometimes we must make sacrifices in order to use it." The old man touched the metal plate where his eye used to be, almost unconsciously. "But for the Vanir, children often inherit magic similar to that of their parents; it is part of them. That is why they are so dangerous."

"Father? What are you saying?" Thor's eyes widened at the insinuation. He couldn't be serious.

"I should have told you this long ago. Sigyn is the child of Gullveig the fallen queen of the Vana and she is also my child."

* * *

**Earth - Present Day**

The odd group made its way back to Kiruna. The woman, Linda, had taken the wheel, Loki and his not-wife had crammed onto the bench seat and Selvig had been forced to ride in the back of the van with all their equipment. He had found himself squished between the object of his desire and the car door, her thigh and upper arm pressed flush against his, it was maddening. Sigyn seemed a little confused by how the car worked, as he began fiddling with the dials on the air conditioning and the radio, switching through several stations with more than a few derisive comments, some music (if you could call it that) "awful", local news "boring", an advert for insurance "do they honestly expect people to fall for that?", another song that seemed to be made entirely of screeching "Odin's beard! No!" and finally a Rolling Stones song he recognised but didn't remember the name of on a Classic Rock station "That's more like it."

"I don't recognise that language you're speaking but I can understand it. How does that work?" Linda asked, unable to bear the tension any longer.

"It's called the Alltongue." Sigyn answered, since Loki pointedly ignored her. "Long before the Vanir wars the nine worlds assembled to form the Council of the Realms that aimed to facilitate cooperation in our laws, trade, that kind of thing."

"Like the United Nations?" Linda asked.

"I don't know what that is, but it sounds similar." Sigyn went on "Anyway a former tutor of mine, Kvasir, invented an enchanted language that would be understood by all who heard it, so that we might find peace. But it seems to have caused more problems than it has solved." She said.

"I'm sure the mortals have no desire for one of your history lessons." Loki interjected, these humans didn't need to know anything more than they had to.

"Ignore him. Imprisonment has done a number on his manners." Sigyn shot back, her dark blonde hair brushing across his face as her head whipped round and she gave him a look that could whither forests. She was always so marvellous when she was angry. "And he is still sulking because I tricked him into being my lackey for this trip."

"I prefer indispensable guide and protector." Loki sneered. "It's less mortifying." The nerve of her. She would have been captured or worse if it hadn't been for him, the ungrateful witch. It would all be worth it in the end though, if they were successful. The Tarnhelm was a powerful weapon, but he was in it for the grand prize. What use did he have for trinkets when he no longer had a place to call home? Vanaheim was beautiful and temperate, much like its heir, and he would have both if he played his cards right. It might have been a world devastated by war and poverty, but it had been powerful once and could be powerful again.

They arrived at the human woman's house after picking up some greasy Midgardian food from a building with a giant bottle on the roof. It was a squat little bungalow on the edge of town, clad in painted timber. There was truly nothing special about it other than that it had a spare bedroom and a room to wash in.

He quickly found the bathroom and closed the door, before tentatively removing the helmet from his brow. For a few moments his altered face remained the same in its bland humanness but soon the colour of his skin paled into white, then grey, then icy blue. The drips from the tap in the stilled into tiny icicles and his red-eyed reflection in the bathroom mirror frosted over with perfect frozen flowers, as quickly as his throat closed up.

He didn't know how long he stayed there until his Aesir form slowly returned. Did the Helm of Terror interfere with the spell Odin had used to disguise him? Did it happen the more he used it or if he wore it for too long? He had had it on for a good hour and a half until they had reached the safety of the house. How long had he worn it in Asgard? What if it grew worse, then the blasted thing would be useless to him? His face had returned to normal but the shameful Jotun image still lingered as he smashed his fist into the glass.

"Loki?" he heard Sigyn call at the noise. "Are you all right in there?" He mended the mirror with a flick of his wrist and healed the cut it had left on his knuckles. He ventured out to where the others were.

Without a word, Loki dropped the cursed helmet on the kitchen table; he did not wish to touch it anymore. His stomach roared in response to the greasy food. He had been starved for so long that it felt like hunger was his permanent companion even as he gorged himself. Luckily they had bought up half the restaurant and he ploughed his way through two burgers the size of footballs filled with cheese, bacon, onions and just about everything else before he felt even remotely satisfied. The two humans could only look on in fear and disgust at his horrendous table manners.

"Well don't say I don't feed you. Feeling better are we?" Sigyn said, eyeing the food suspiciously.

"So much better." Loki grinned and noticed her reluctance to try anything. "It won't poison you, I promise. I swear ketchup and mustard are humanity's only great achievement. No offense." He turned to the humans; they were definitely offended but were too afraid to show it. "No, I take it back. Condiments and coffee, you wouldn't happen to have any would you?"

"Oh, yes. Of course." The woman answered, and set about making him a cup.

"So, Dr Selvig, what do you know of dark magic?" Sigyn asked.

"Dark magic? You mean like…evil magic?" Selvig answered, looking all the more confused.

"There's no such thing as evil magic, only evil applications. No. Magic, as we understand it, involves changing things that are already in the physical world, even Loki's illusions are merely the manipulation of light." She explained patiently.

"It's a bit more complicated than that, but in layman's terms that will suffice." Loki grumbled, "Constructing a good illusion is an art, like composing a symphony or a masterpiece. They take centuries to master, only to be dismissed by philistines such as yourself."

"Loki, don't be a drama queen. Anyway, for a long time the concept of dark magic only existed in legend, as a sort of undetectable force of great potential power. It's difficult to explain, but since then Odin Allfather discovered a way of harnessing it."

"Wait, are you talking about..?" Dr Hellqvist asked taking a drag from what was her second, possibly her third cigarette since they had got in. "Do you think that thing has something to do with dark matter?"

"It's possible, they might be one and the same. What do you know on the subject?" Loki asked.

"Nothing concrete, I'm afraid it's all hypothetical at the moment." Linda went on "But from what you've described it could be a possibility."

"Then, perhaps a little divine intervention is in order then." Sigyn smiled and reached into her bag, bringing out a tiny vial of dark red liquid. "This is Skaldic Mead, it gives the drinker the gift of knowledge, it might give you a spark of inspiration on the matter. I was saving it for a rainy day, and it seems as though there's a storm brewing."

"Have you kept that hidden all this time?" Loki interrupted suddenly, staring at the tiny bottle with renewed interest. "Had I known, I would have tried my hand at breaking into your rooms."

"I would have enjoyed watching you try." Sigyn challenged, raising a blonde eyebrow.

"You can't give that to a human. What if it's too much for their tiny brains and their heads explode?"

"Explode? What in the world is in that stuff?" Selvig asked nervously, he was obviously not happy that he was about to be forced to drink something dangerous.

"Oh nothing from this world, I can assure you. It is the blood of a God."

"I don't know, my mother always told to just say no when it comes to God blood." Linda said, also apprehensive about the morbid drink. Loki could feel himself beginning to lose his temper.

"My lady has bestowed a tremendous honour upon you both. Now you will each take a drop and you will be grateful, do I make myself clear." Humans really were stupid sometimes, he mused as the two scientists hastily accepted the offering.

* * *

**Asgard - Many centuries ago**

"And when I went to confront him he had already left. He hasn't spoken to me since." Sigyn recounted, recalling the incident where she had brought Thor to the library three weeks earlier. "I know it might be foolish of me, but I thought we were friends."

"Friends? Loki doesn't have friends, just people he knows." Sif said sarcastically, hitting her target dead centre. They had set up an archery range on the palace lawn, neither of them took much sport in such an art, both favouring hand to hand combat over ranged weaponry Sif held a preference for spears, Sigyn remained partial to the traditional Vanir sabre, but a bow had its uses nonetheless and Sif always thought better when she was armed. "You should just forget about it, be thankful he didn't turn your hair into snakes or something." She was obviously still sore about the hair-cutting prank.

"I didn't even realise he and Thor had quarrelled. I don't see why he should turn on me for it, it's hardly my fault."

"Really, that's what you think it was about? It's funny, for someone so well read, you really are oblivious sometimes." Sif laughed.

"Come again?"

"When Loki cut off my hair, I thought he wanted me and was getting his own back because I favoured Thor over him. But in hindsight I think it was because he thought I would take his brother away." Sif said wistfully.

"So do you think this is the same thing? He is simply jealous."

"All I know is that Thor woke up the other day and there were scorpions in his boots and both his eyebrows had been shaved off. Trust me, he may have a gift with words but that boy is completely demented. It would be better if you didn't get involved." Another arrow hit its mark.

"Oh." Sigyn replied, trying to sound non-committal.

"I know! Who would want the attentions of such an insidious creature? I'm just sorry I wasn't able to keep him away from you."

"You exaggerate. He really isn't that bad. I just think he feels caged, not being allowed to fight while Thor may roam as he pleases. I can understand that feeling." Sigyn explained.

"I'm sorry, Loki must be the least of your worries, I didn't even think." Sif began.

"Don't worry, there's nothing either of us can do." Sigyn cut her off and looked beyond the warrior maiden's shoulder to where two guards kept their distance. Judging them to be out of earshot she continued. "Have you heard anything?"

"Njord is being kept under house arrest on Naotun, they could not find enough evidence against him to make an official arrest. Freyr is still missing; they found evidence that he had been building a ship out of Vanir Applewood. They believe him to be hiding in Jotunheim. " Sif told her, keeping her voice low and continuing to shoot as though nothing had happened. Sigyn gasped, the wood was the source of their world's magic which allowed them to sail too far away stars, and Asgard currently held strict control over all of Vanaheim's surviving orchards. Sigyn wondered how in the nine worlds her friend and foster brother had managed to procure such a thing.

"I can also tell you that Freya has been missing since the night the Nidhogg comet crossed the sky."

"Missing? You think she fled Asgard?" Sigyn whispered.

"I don't know, I shouldn't be telling you this you understand. I know you still care for them, even after all that has happened." As far as Sif was concerned, Sigyn had not been aware of the uprising the Vanir hostages had been planning and had only been guilty of publicly expressing a few nationalistic sentiments. Sigyn preferred to keep it that way, the two women were friends but Sif's loyalties lay firmly with Asgard and with its eldest prince.

"Thank you, I know you're taking a great risk. And I know you think they abandoned me and let me take the fall for their crimes. You may be right. But they are still subjects and my family, I would rather they found sanctuary in exile than face execution here." She only regretted that she hadn't been able to escape herself. But to flee the Realm Eternal would mean forfeiting any legal claim to her own birthright. To try and claim the throne from exile would only bring war and certain defeat. That was not an option, not when Asgard was so strong.

"I shall bring you more news from the outside when it comes." Sif smiled reassuringly. "And tell me if Loki starts troubling you again; I will break his ribs for you."

"You're concern for me is touching, but I'm sure that won't be necessary." Sigyn laughed, but on the inside her heart sank. For she now knew for certain that the young prince's fondness of her was more than friendly. She knew that she was in grave danger of falling in love with him. And she knew already that her heart would be broken.

* * *

**Asgard - Present Day**

"This is madness, how could he just announce something like that without offering an explanation?" Thor cried as the All-seeing guardian of the rainbow bridge led him to where the Tesseract was being held.

"The king worries you will think less of him for his past indiscretions." Heimdall replied in his usual monotone. "But even the Allfather can make mistakes, my prince."

"Did you know of this?"

"Of course I did." The Watcher said, making Thor feel a little stupid.

"And mother, does she know? It would break her heart!"

"She does, and it did. You were probably too young to remember but she refused to speak with the Allfather for over a century after she found out." Said Heimdall

"And what of Sigyn?" Had she known all this time? No, he did not think so.

"She knows nothing of this. Claiming kin with her would have caused… more than a few problems."

"What else do you know?" Thor demanded rather than asked.

"The king has forbidden me to speak of it. And I am bound by honour to obey."

"I'm sure he has. Very well, what do you know of the girl's mother, Gullveig? You once served her did you not?" he asked, trying a different tactic.

"The Fallen Queen was the most powerful sorceress that ever walked the nine worlds." Heindall replied carefully "Not even death could vanquish her, for she had devised a spell that would resurrect her in a new form. Before becoming queen of Vanaheim she had a different name and a different face and was known as Heid the Harvest-bringer. I know not what she was before that. That was before my time."

"But she was executed long ago; surely death claimed her in the end."

"So it is written. But let it be known that the Allfather had to burn her body three times before he was sure she was dead."

"Are you implying there might be a chance that she's still alive out there?" Thor said, raising an eyebrow. If that was the case, then perhaps they were in more danger than he thought.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that."

"That's all you're going to tell me isn't it? You really aren't the most helpful of fellows are you?"

"I can say no more." The Watcher said with an air of finality as he finished whatever he was doing with the cube to make it work. "I have located the human woman, Jane Foster. I will send you directly to her. I wish you luck and may fate be on your side."

Before Thor could answer he had already been engulfed in the bright blue light and could feel himself hurtling towards the Earth.


End file.
